You priceless ass!! You gave away *that* book?

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

Or: Why Getting Rid Of Books Is A Bad Habit That Will Break Your Heart

OK, OK, I'll grant there are exceptions. When I was a kid I had about sixty Time Life Books, including the complete Nature Library, and a half-dozen titles each from the Science Library, Great Ages Of Man, and Artist. This was when they still published anything besides books about cowboys, home repair, the paranormal, and the Library Of Art. Out of all those, I have saved perhaps fifteen for their interest as ephemeral objects, and also for sentimental value. And naturally, there are a couple more that I wish I'd hung onto, but most of that sort of information, both textual and pictorial, can easily be found online these days.

But when it comes to a number of other books I've hauled to thrift shops, not so much. For example, a copy of Yeoman's Guide To American Coins, familiar to numismatists as The Red Book. No, I'm not a collector anymore, and besides, the coin values included in the book are likely to go out of date while the book being delivered to the store. But regardless, the book includes beautiful black-and-white, actual size illustrations of just about every coin known to have ever been minted within our borders. But I had to "save space". The book is only slightly bigger than a small paperback novel, but I got rid of it. To save space, you understand. !! And also !!! And also %&$##@@!!!!

But that's still small-time stuff we're talking about. I'm saving the worst for last.

In a moment of insanity while preparing for a move, I picked up my copy of every cartoon published in The New Yorker from 1950-1955 and dropped it into the "Donate" box!

(Happily, I found a free download in Google Books, and I'm doing that even as I speak. I hadn't thought the individual cartoons would be out of copyright yet, let alone the album. I'm grateful for this, but it's not as good as holding the book in my hands. I spend too much time at my computer as it is.)

What books have you given up, to your lasting regret??

[aruvqan]

Not voluntarily, but a roomie moved out on me while I was at work and he stole my entire bookshelf of oversized books. Mainly D&D - complete run of 108 issues of Dragon magazine, an almost complete set of official D&D modules up through Maze of the Riddling Minotaur, my unopened play testers copy of D&D from the 73 Gencon and the book I miss the most, that probably ended up in the garbage, my now deceased Dad's bootcamp 'yearbook'. [and all 3000 or so miniatures, about half of which were painted.]

[Boyo Jim]

Once I got rid of nearly half my whole library -- a couple of thousand books -- during a move.

Never again. You just have no idea how often a book, even a fictional one, bubbles up is your mind as the inspiration for something -- and then you want to go look up the reference and.... arrgh!

[Becky2844]

I loaned a book that I never got back that had belonged to my step-father. It was about the Bolshevic Revolution in 1917. The part I remember most is when these people finally make it across the river and pull themselves up on land, and watch the fires burn on the other side. I can't remember the title or author's name but it was so well written I felt like I was there.

Did I learn my lesson? No. Many years later I loaned another book of my step-father's, a collection of poems from the 1800s. Every week or so I asked the person if she'd finished it yet. Finally I came up with an excuse as to why I needed it back. When she returned it she said she hadn't actually gotten around to reading it.

I learned my lesson.

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

Originally Posted by Spectre of Pithecanthropus

When I was a kid I had about sixty Time Life Books, including the complete Nature Library, and a half-dozen titles each from the Science Library, Great Ages Of Man, and Artist. This was when they still published anything besides books about cowboys, home repair, the paranormal, and the Library Of Art.

ETA: Should have been:

When I was a kid I had about sixty Time Life books, including the complete Nature Library, and a half-dozen titles each from the Science Library, Great Ages Of Man, and the Library Of Art. This was when they still published anything besides books about cowboys, home repair, and the paranormal.

The Library Of Art was one of the good series; I didn't mean to include it with the cowboys, home repair, and the paranormal.

[flatlined]

You useless git! I would have bought the coin book from you. Did you toss any vintage Lovecraft? If so, I hope you get eaten last.

Joking, I love it when I find wonderful books at yard sales and thrift stores. People like you feed my addiction.

While I was homeless, my highschool yearbooks got tossed. I do regret that. Not because I want to look at them but because genealogists want them.

[AHunter3]

I once had one of those "School Memories" books that had every report card from every six-week grading period from Kindergarten through High School, names of teachers, room numbers, class photos, etc. I didn't precisely give it away but when the backpack containing my stuff was stolen and all I was carrying tossed out onto the floor, it was among the things I walked away from rather than trying to take it with me.

[septimus]

My biggest regrets on lost books aren't ones I gave away, but ones lost during precipitous moves. One special regret is Le dossier d'Alcools. I've a paperback copy of Alcools by Guillaume Apollinaire, but Le dossier was a treasure I chanced upon in a used book store (in France?). It contains contemporary reviews of the poems and, most interestingly, a record of poems' early drafts. (Zone in particular was amended for a general audience before publication. )

[Cicero]

I recently donated a 19th Century Bible to the cooktown Historical society. It had belonged to one of the pioneer families of the district and had names and personal details, along with clippings of their prevvious life in Sweden.

It was a conscious decision but I loved that book.

[bmasters1]

I gave all my Ramonas (new copies) to my sister-in-law for my new nephew, in hopes that when he grew up, he would appreciate them as much as I do. Boy, did I regret that one! (I replaced half of them, though, and now have half old and half new [IOW, half with original artwork and half with modern]).

[Colophon]

I'm just about to chuck out most of the paperbacks that are cluttering up the spare room. I've looked at the resale value and it's basically zero (even bulk-buying services like Zapper won't accept most of the titles). Charity shops won't take them. The only option is to chuck 'em in the skip, which seems a crime for books, but what else can you do?

Granted, most of it is recent-ish (last 10-15 years) modern paperback fiction rather than anything interesting.

[Nightfall1]

We give the books we don't want anymore to small town libraries. Even if they don't want them they sell them at the yearly book sales for a dime or a quarter.

[Anaamika]

Yeah. I never regret giving away my books. Of course now I make sure I get them on the Kindle. I also give them away to the library.

[Eve]

When I "loan" books to friends I assume I am "giving" them, and will never see them again. But about ten years ago I loaned the first two volumes of Time/Life's This Fabulous Century to my friend Michael, as he was always diligent about returning books--then he died, and his brother gave all his books to the Strand!

Every time I look at that shelf I think, "gosh I miss Michael" and "gosh I hate his stupid brother."

[StusBlues]

When I was in college, my parents moved and threw away every book that I hadn't taken with me.

Damn. Just...damn.

[kayaker]

I used to have all of Vonnegut's books, mostly hardcover. A buddy of mine who was not a reader saw Breakfast of Champions on my shelf and was intrigued by the cover. He borrowed the book, loved it, then asked for more.

I put all the books in a box and lent them to him to read at his leisure. A week later he died of a a cerebral aneurysm.

His estranged daughter inherited all and was at the funeral. I could not ask her for my books back.

[Hello Again]

Originally Posted by StusBlues

When I was in college, my parents moved and threw away every book that I hadn't taken with me.

Damn. Just...damn.

When I was in college, my parents boxed up ALL my books and mailed them to me (when they said "do you want your books" I thought they meant "do you want your one shelf of special books"). I culled them down to one boxful I was actually willing to drag with me throughout my entire life, and took the rest down to the local used book shop (12 boxes). I got $20 for a couple of the nicer horse books, and gave them the rest for free.

They're only things.

[Clothahump]

Originally Posted by Spectre of Pithecanthropus

What books have you given up, to your lasting regret??

I have lost three libraries due to moves. I am building my fourth and last, to SWMBO's dismay. When the kids moved out, I got one of their bedrooms to use as a physical library / office. It looks like a bomb went off in there as I slowly try to get my books ordered on the shelves.

This is why we fell in love with the Kindle. I can now buy books to my heart's content and not have them filling all the available space in the house, and that makes SWMBO happy. And if she is happy, life is good!

[StusBlues]

Originally Posted by Hello Again

When I was in college, my parents boxed up ALL my books and mailed them to me (when they said "do you want your books" I thought they meant "do you want your one shelf of special books"). I culled them down to one boxful I was actually willing to drag with me throughout my entire life, and took the rest down to the local used book shop (12 boxes). I got $20 for a couple of the nicer horse books, and gave them the rest for free.

I would have been cool with that. I would have been cool with "take anything you want to keep, because we're throwing away anything you leave." But getting the phone call that pretty much everything is gone...that was cold.

Very much a first-world, white male problem, I grant you, but cold.

[Idle Thoughts]

Since this thread seems to be primarily about books (and the giving away of them), I'm going to move it to Cafe Society.

[Eve]

Originally Posted by StusBlues

Very much a first-world, white male problem, I grant you, but cold.

I have a black female friend from Barbados, Julie, whose parents threw out all her stuff, too, so . . . No. As much as we do all hate the first-world white males and jeer at their problems.

[Tom Tildrum]

Hoarders had an episode with a couple who had accumulated 500,000 books in their home. Preview here, snarky commentary here, full video here.

As one commenter noted, they were probably saving a bundle on heating and cooling costs.

[Kimstu]

Originally Posted by Colophon

I'm just about to chuck out most of the paperbacks that are cluttering up the spare room. I've looked at the resale value and it's basically zero (even bulk-buying services like Zapper won't accept most of the titles). Charity shops won't take them. The only option is to chuck 'em in the skip, which seems a crime for books, but what else can you do?

Ooooh, paperbackswap.com!

Sign up, list your books, and when somebody requests them, send them out. Yes, you have to actually do the mailing (though it's easy to bulk buy the appropriate mailing envelopes), but you get rewarded when you're looking for a book that somebody else has!

Practical karma cultivation for bibliovores.

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

Originally Posted by bmasters1

I gave all my Ramonas (new copies) to my sister-in-law for my new nephew, in hopes that when he grew up, he would appreciate them as much as I do. Boy, did I regret that one! (I replaced half of them, though, and now have half old and half new [IOW, half with original artwork and half with modern]).

"Ramonas"? Do those have anything to do with the 1884 novel by Helen Hunt Jackson, which was set in Southern California? I only know about it because I live here and I happen to be a local history buff. In its time, Ramona was probably the first mass media blockbuster that focused on the region; I doubt if L.A. itself had more than 20K people at that time. To this day an annual outdoor Ramona pageant still takes place in the distant town of Hemet, but otherwise it's something most people around here don't know about unless they seek out local history sources. It's something at the very edge of our cultural memory, like orange crate stickers.

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

Originally Posted by StusBlues

I would have been cool with that. I would have been cool with "take anything you want to keep, because we're throwing away anything you leave." But getting the phone call that pretty much everything is gone...that was cold.

Very much a first-world, white male problem, I grant you, but cold.

Why would gender have anything to do with it?

[Becky2844]

Originally Posted by Colophon

I'm just about to chuck out most of the paperbacks that are cluttering up the spare room. I've looked at the resale value and it's basically zero (even bulk-buying services like Zapper won't accept most of the titles). Charity shops won't take them. The only option is to chuck 'em in the skip, which seems a crime for books, but what else can you do?

Granted, most of it is recent-ish (last 10-15 years) modern paperback fiction rather than anything interesting.

A couple years ago I tried to sell some of my books. When I rattled off some of the titles the Book Store Lady said "Not interested."
I said Well, what are you looking for?
She said, "The ones you aren't willing to give up."

Chilled my heart. I hung up.

[Becky2844]

Originally Posted by Eve

I have a black female friend from Barbados, Julie, whose parents threw out all her stuff, too, so . . . No. As much as we do all hate the first-world white males and jeer at their problems.

I didn't want to blubber here, but...when I was going away to college, I went thru my room and collected all my stuff. Things I'd written from a kid on up. All my Beatles memorabilia. Traded school pictures, ticket stubs, everything my high school first love had ever given me, my scrapbook from the Senior Trip...I packed it all into a cardboard box and put it in my closet.

The first weekend I came home I noticed it was gone. I went downstairs and asked my mother about it. She said she'd been cleaning and had my stepfather haul it off with the other trash.

My mother wasn't exactly a housekeeper. In fact, the joke about people having to move when stuff finally gets so dirty kind of hits home. I totally understand her snooping thru my room after I'd gone; I might have done it, too. But when she found the closed cardboard box in my closet, I do NOT believe she just hauled it out and had it thrown away. She opened it. Saw what was inside. Then threw it away.

[Eve]

Originally Posted by Becky2844

She opened it. Saw what was inside. Then threw it away.

That is awful. Did you ever forgive her?

When my mother had the nerve to move to Florida in 1941 to work for the Navy--at the age of 20--her mother spitefully threw out all her childhood books and toys. All my mother had from her childhood was what she took with her to Miami.

[bmasters1]

Originally Posted by Spectre of Pithecanthropus

"Ramonas"? Do those have anything to do with the 1884 novel by Helen Hunt Jackson, which was set in Southern California? I only know about it because I live here and I happen to be a local history buff. In its time, Ramona was probably the first mass media blockbuster that focused on the region; I doubt if L.A. itself had more than 20K people at that time. To this day an annual outdoor Ramona pageant still takes place in the distant town of Hemet, but otherwise it's something most people around here don't know about unless they seek out local history sources. It's something at the very edge of our cultural memory, like orange crate stickers.

Has nothing to do with that; it was the children's series by Beverly Cleary. Thanks for the response, though; you brought up some good points.

[StusBlues]

Originally Posted by Spectre of Pithecanthropus

Why would gender have anything to do with it?

Well, Hello Again pointed out that all I had lost was things. As first-world white males are perhaps the most notoriously acquisitive creatures about, I acknowledged that, yes, losing pretty much all my childhood possessions (mostly books) was a particularly first-world white male problem, since we are notoriously greedy hoarders of all that is good and desirable. Yes, I'm somewhat materialistic. Still hurts.

[silenus]

Kindles have made deaquisitioning books a great deal easier, at least for popular titles. I learned years ago to buy multiple copies of books I knew I was going to lend. Makes it easier on the soul when they never come back. I must have purchased a dozen copies of Wyrd Sisters and Guards! Guards! over the years, and at least 2 dozen copies of The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. If I never get them back from students I at least know they got out there into the mass of books for sale at university used book stores.

[Becky2844]

Originally Posted by Eve

That is awful. Did you ever forgive her?

When my mother had the nerve to move to Florida in 1941 to work for the Navy--at the age of 20--her mother spitefully threw out all her childhood books and toys. All my mother had from her childhood was what she took with her to Miami.

I'm still coming to terms with a lot of things. (Wah wah wah. lol) We never talked about it again.
You know how some things are just so...rotten that you basically just go on as if it never happened? I guess I've forgiven her because I let it go.

[Lucky 13]

When I was a child in El Salvador, someone talked my parents into buying a set of encyclopedias and a set of books of stories and poems for children. I adored those books and read and reread them for hours, since I had almost no friends and not much reason to go outside and play. When we had to leave because of the civil war, I was forced to leave those books behind. I think this contributed to my being a book hoarder. I married a fellow book hoarder, and when we split up, he left most of his books behind. I'm going to have to get rid of several books, since I plan to move soon, and it's going to be heartbreaking for me to decide what to sell/donate/whatever. On the plus side, maybe my ex will finally pick up his boxes of books. Among them are several anthropology books I would hate to throw away, but soon won't have room to keep.

[DMark]

It was own fault, but after I moved to Europe my parents later moved to another state in the USA and didn't want to schlep my books so they gave them away.

I had an autographed copy of Steal This Book by Abbie Hoffman - I had gone to the Chicago Seven trial in Chicago and asked Abbie to autograph it. Abbie took the book, quickly signed it and gave it back. He had written, "Fuck off" and signed his name. I cherished that bit of personal lunacy.

I also had one odd collection. I loved Catcher In The Rye as a high school kid, and then started picking up every paperback copy of any book I could find that had a blurb on the back that said, "...like Catcher In The Rye...". I probably had 20 or more paperbacks all with similar quotes, hoping to cash in on the popularity of Catcher at the time. I am sure most of those other books are no longer in print as most of them were a pale imitation at best. Still, it was fun when people came over and I could read those blurbs one after another - lots of laughs.

However, the big problem with moving a lot is priorities in what gets moved. Books are heavy and expensive to ship. So - even if my parents had not given them away, my guess is I would have had to do so at some point anyway.

[Becky2844]

Originally Posted by DMark

It was own fault, but after I moved to Europe my parents later moved to another state in the USA and didn't want to schlep my books so they gave them away.

I had an autographed copy of Steal This Book by Abbie Hoffman - I had gone to the Chicago Seven trial in Chicago and asked Abbie to autograph it. Abbie took the book, quickly signed it and gave it back. He had written, "Fuck off" and signed his name. I cherished that bit of personal lunacy.

I also had one odd collection. I loved Catcher In The Rye as a high school kid, and then started picking up every paperback copy of any book I could find that had a blurb on the back that said, "...like Catcher In The Rye...". I probably had 20 or more paperbacks all with similar quotes, hoping to cash in on the popularity of Catcher at the time. I am sure most of those other books are no longer in print as most of them were a pale imitation at best. Still, it was fun when people came over and I could read those blurbs one after another - lots of laughs.

However, the big problem with moving a lot is priorities in what gets moved. Books are heavy and expensive to ship. So - even if my parents had not given them away, my guess is I would have had to do so at some point anyway.

DMark...an autographed copy of Steal This Book. I'm standing here in quiet admiration and respect. (We had our own arrested # group where I come from.)