Talking to a friend who is currently going through a large and important collection of books with a view to disposing of some of them prompted me to revisit the subject of hoarding vs. chucking.
We rarely get rid of books, just occasionally sending to the charity shop a duplicate or a book which was so far from my taste that I feel it must seek its rightful reader out in the world (see the first line quoted here!). But we have space to accommodate more books - though at the rate we acquire, we'll reach the tipping point soon - so we still have the luxury (?) of keeping what we want and letting go things which are less important.
I know we've touched on this before, but it was a while ago and new readers may not have seen past posts, so which are you - a hoarder or a chucker? Are you ruthless, keeping only those books which are especial favourites, of sentimental value or difficult to replace, and if so, is that irrespective of the amount of space you currently have, or do you retain whatever you buy or are given regardless of 'merit'?
In the latter category, here's an excerpt from an interview with the writer, critic and collector John Richardson from At Home with Books: ' "I worry about space, but I can't get rid of a book. They are all over the place, on chairs, on the floor, even in the car." Does he ever feel overwhelmed by his books? "I wouldn't mind that feeling," he says. "I've just inherited the library of a friend ... At the moment they are in the garage in boxes. But I could never turn away a book. Never." '
Speaking of collecting books, if you have room for another and haven't already entered the draw, please do so!
