# Holy Cow, have I got a lot of books! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 3, 2007, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548 "2007-06-03T03:28:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/1 "2007-06-03T03:28:00Z")
I started doing some packing today, so that I could start stacking and get an idea of how big a truck I need to rent. Figuring that the library will get me through the next month, I’ve started with books. I’m up to 10 boxes, and I’m not even close to done. I think I need a bigger truck. Either that or abandon my sofa. I meant, on this move, to do some pruning, but it’s not happening. “Y’know, Frank,” I say to myself, “you might probably someday possibly maybe read this one again.” Into the box it goes. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![pprgrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f6c823/32.png) [@pprgrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pprgrl)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/2 "2007-06-03T04:36:23Z")
I feel your pain. I’m between apartments right now and I’m paying for storage for my 20 or so boxes of books (and less important household items like furniture). Two more months of this and I estimate that I’ll have paid more for storage than I did for my entire library. I did manage to throw out half a dozen old text books, but that was all I could bear to part with. I’m an English major - it just feels _wrong_ to get rid of books. And I just went thrift-storing this weekend and bought another 24 books :smack: If I keep this up, I’ll be renting a bigger storage unit before I find an apartment. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/3 "2007-06-03T04:53:15Z")
I just finally got my books out of storage after 10 years. They filled almost a quarter of a two-car garage. It’s been book orgy at my house! Unfortunately, I’m out of shelves and and I’ve still got at least 20 boxes to go. And I just bought some more last week. :eek: I’ve gotta get rid of some of them, really. I swear I’m gonna. Soon. ---
**Author:** ![hawksgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed655f/32.png) [@hawksgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawksgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/4 "2007-06-03T04:59:52Z")
Wow, you people are insane (in a good way 🙂 ). I try to keep under one shelf of non-textbooks. That means that if I get too many, knowing I won’t read them again, they’re bookcrossed and I have room for new ones. I figure if its at all hard to give up, keep it, but don’t keep everything! Between my roommate and myself, we’d be drowning in literature if we didn’t bookcross! ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/5 "2007-06-03T05:17:09Z")
I have, I think, about 90 or so [mostly-this-sized boxes](http://www.officemax.com/max/solutions/product/prodBlock.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&expansionOID=-536907315&prodBlockOID=537039719) of books, mostly paperback but a good leavening of hard and trade backs plus a few bigger things like the deluxe Calvin & Hobbes collection. I’m in dire need of high-capacity, extra-sturdy bookshelves, preferably with glass doors to keep the cats out while still letting me see what I have. But at least I have a room to \*put \*them in now that I’ve bought a house with a finished basement! ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/6 "2007-06-03T05:17:16Z")
I have got several thousand books. Far too many for my book shelfs. So I decided I would get rid of a few on ebay. So far not one bid- but I may buy a few 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/7 "2007-06-03T05:42:50Z")
I’ve long had plans to build glass-front cases to keep the dust and fur out. Lighted of course, and with ladders so they can go floor-to-ceiling. Maybe right after I get them all into that database I keep talking about building… **hawksgirl** , I got most of mine before the WWW even existed. I could trade them in at the bookstore, but only get maybe two-for-one. And I do re-read them. (I read a LOT.) I paid fortunes in library fines before I started buying used, because I always forgot to take them back. And our library is pretty slim on the spec fic, which is mostly what I read. I just recently found CrossBooks, though, and I think I’m going to try it as soon as I get things sorted out a bit. I was the home for wayward books for a long time, and I’ve found quite a few dups. Not to mention the stuff that I’m not that fond of and just never did anything with. Even so, I’ll probably end up with several thousand that I keep for one reason or another. Eh, I’ve got a big house and I like books. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/8 "2007-06-03T05:46:00Z")
[QUOTE=Cicero] So far not one bid- but I may buy a few 🙂 [/QUOTE] “Oh, that looks interesting. I don’t think I’ve got that. What the hell; I’ll buy it.” I’m almost certain that that strategy will not gain you money, though it will maintain your collection. 😉 At this point, looking at the spreadsheet I’m building, I think I’m going to top out somewhere around 2000. (Probably 80% paperback.) Maybe _I_ should buy some of yours. After I fill the moving truck, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/9 "2007-06-03T06:03:41Z")
[QUOTE=redtail23] Maybe right after I get them all into that database I keep talking about building… [/QUOTE] Try [Readerware](http://www.readerware.com/index.html). It’s not terribly expensive, it probably does everything you need, and you can get a cute little cat-shaped bar code scanner for free that will help reduce the amount of time you spend on data entry. Although I seem to have quite a few books that don’t HAVE ISBNs or bar codes on them, more’s the pity. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/10 "2007-06-03T06:11:12Z")
[QUOTE=Frank] At this point, looking at the spreadsheet I’m building, I think I’m going to top out somewhere around 2000. (Probably 80% paperback.) Maybe _I_ should buy some of yours. After I fill the moving truck, of course. [/QUOTE] I finished my data entry for my sf books, and it came out just over 2500. I’ve begun my magazines, and am at about 200, not quite through with my Amazings, I should come out well over 5,000 in total. Then we have a room full of non-sf books too. Our last two moves were company paid, and the movers loved us - lots of heavy boxes with things impossible to break. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/11 "2007-06-03T06:24:46Z")
[QUOTE=Voyager] Our last two moves were company paid, and the movers loved us - lots of heavy boxes with things impossible to break. [/QUOTE] Heh. I’m trying to hire my co-workers twin sons to help me load and hope I can find some illegal immigrants hanging out on an Ottawa street corner. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/12 "2007-06-03T10:36:38Z")
I hear you! When I moved I had 10 30-gallon trash cans filled with books (they roll on and off the truck so easily) and I still had to go back. I’ve been slowly giving them away, but unfortunately I buy them more quickly than I give them away. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_loblaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@bob\_loblaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_loblaw)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/13 "2007-06-03T11:30:52Z")
the last time i moved, i got rid of lots of my furniture, most of which i’ve had to replace. got rid of many appliances, many of which i have had to replace. got rid of a bunch of stuff i don’t care if i never see again. but my books… i kept every fricking one. even the ones i know i’ll never read again. in fact, i still have every book i’ve ever owned, save for the few i’ve (unwisely) lent to the sorta person that never returns a lent book. these people are no longer my friends (though most are still acquaintances) and i know who has (or had) every one of those books. i still expect them to be returned. i will continue to expect returns to my deathbed, should it be necessary. i even have every course kit from my university years, plus binders & binders full of course copies of “recommended readings” that are in ‘selected section’ or chapter form. many of my books, prolly around a fifth - quarter or so, are stored in boxes in the basement of my mom’s house… only cause i don’t have room for them here. but they are still mine. and only when i leave them in my will shall they belong to anyone else. and at the rate i buy books, i’m prolly gonna need to send a few more boxes to mom’s in the next little while. i’m really short on space here. still, i can tell you, if you ask about a particular book, what box it is in. and if you are looking to get yourself rid of some books… shit, let me know. if i don’t already have it, i may well be willing to buy it. ---
**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/14 "2007-06-03T12:36:59Z")
The last time I moved, I shipped 25 boxes of books via the train (from Idaho to New Jersey) for about $130. I don’t know what it costs to ship by train today or if you can even still do it. I had a friend drop them off in Boise (I lived in Pocatello), they were palletized and I picked them up in Newark. That was 16 years ago. I’m now moving about 2500 feet, and up to 16 boxes of books with a few to go. My mom is moving in with me, from across the country. The woman that taught my sibs and I the love of reading has a lot more discipline than I. About 90% of her books have gone to the local PTA thrift shop. I think we’ll need another bookcase. Hello Ikea! ---
**Author:** ![bob\_loblaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@bob\_loblaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_loblaw)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/15 "2007-06-03T12:46:15Z")
[QUOTE=brachyrhynchos] {…} I think we’ll need another bookcase. Hello Ikea! [/QUOTE] anyone who ever gets the idea that they’ll never need another bookcase just does not read enough. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/16 "2007-06-03T15:15:48Z")
I can do without the furniture, but not without the books. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/17 "2007-06-03T15:20:53Z")
It’s just terrible, isn’t it? Those tiny book cartons don’t hardly hold a thing–maybe the complete Waverley novels, if you’re lucky… I’m moving to another state, this summer, so my moving costs are being calculated by weight. Appliances? Meh, not much. Sofa? Meh, not much. Books? You have a lot of BOOKS? Well that’s gonna cost you big bucks! To make it worse, my parents are also moving states this summer, and getting rid of absolutely everything they don’t feel like taking–which meant my collection of children’s books, so I have those in boxes on my living room floor now too. I’m having a lot of fun reading them, though. I’m one of those people who still believe in the Georgian idea of a private museum and library being the sign of a true gentleman (or gentlewoman, in my case). It just seems civilized to be burdened with possessions, you know? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/18 "2007-06-03T15:26:05Z")
**Frank** , I’m going to let you in on a dirty little secret. We have bookstores in Canada. Don’t hope that you can conquor your addiction by fleeing to the Great White North. There are pushers everywhere. You’re doomed… ---
**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/19 "2007-06-03T16:55:17Z")
Amtrak still offers the shipping service. [Here](http://cardhouse.com/travel/move.htm) is someone who talks about the service (toward the bottom of the page). [Here](http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Title_Image_Copy_Page&cid=1080080554164&c=am2Copy&ssid=43) is Amtrak’s page. I don’t know if their prices are still competitive, but I suspect they are. ---
**Author:** ![PerditaX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@PerditaX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PerditaX)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548/20 "2007-06-03T17:16:32Z")
My dear Asperger’s OCD husband has over 4000 books. Many (if not most) are paperbacks that were used when he got them, but he won’t part with a single one. He pays nearly $50 a month on a mini-warehouse, since there’s nowhere in the house to put them. We have (of course) added another couple hundred to the collection since then, but we can’t put _them_ in the mini-warehouse because it’s already full. He won’t part with them. Period. I’m a bit of a bibliophage myself, but at least I have _some_ self-control! As for moving…I have a trick I “invented” when we moved the books into storage. Take a pile of books just big enough to carry easily. Wrap it in the 6" wide cling-wrap-onna-stick they sell at the U-Haul. Easy to handle, lighter than a box, and since it’s transparent, you can see which books are where. Worth a try, anyway. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-cow-have-i-got-a-lot-of-books/406548.md?page=2)