# What's the largest book you own? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 18, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397 "2008-06-18T20:39:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/1 "2008-06-18T20:39:30Z")
About an hour ago, UPS delivered the copy of [_Andy Warhol “Giant” Size_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/071484540X) I ordered from Amazon. Holy crap, it’s big. “Giant” is right. I mean, I read the dimensions before I ordered it: 16.9 x 13 x 2.2 inches, 14.6 pounds. Yeah, yeah, big book. Got it. But I think I could crush walnuts with this thing. It’s _huge_. Several coworkers have commented on it already, several of them from across the room. I’m also fairly certain it’s the single most massive book I own. I’ve got an atlas or two that might win for height or width, but aren’t nearly as heavy. (624 pages! Oof!) 14.6 pounds is the equivalent of almost 9 copies of _Deathly Hallows_. (Thanks, [Sensible Units](http://www.sensibleunits.com/)!) What’s the largest book in your library? For purposes of the thread, “largest” would be the most massive overall, and “book” means one single bound volume. Encyclopedia sets don’t count. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/2 "2008-06-18T20:45:37Z")
Either Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by Shirer or Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present 9th Edition by Brooks and Marsh. Both paperbacks, but over 1,000 pages. I think the TV book is bigger than the Hitler one- after all, TV’s had more history! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/3 "2008-06-18T20:49:04Z")
Biggest individual book is my **Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary** that I got for $20 about 30 years ago, and have been lugging around the country ever since. It’s bigger than my CRC Handbook, and measures about 14" X 8" x 6" The biggest area book I’ve got is **a Plan for New York City** , published by MIT Press. I lucked out and got a complete copy, with slipcase. I measures about 3’ X 3’ X 3.5" > **[Plan for New York City 1969, A Proposal: Volume 1, Critical Issues: The New York...](https://www.amazon.com/Plan-York-City-1969-Proposal/dp/026264004X)** > > Plan for New York City 1969, A Proposal: Volume 1, Critical Issues \[The New York City Planning Commission, Charles Harbutt\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Plan for New York City 1969, A Proposal: Volume 1, Critical Issues It;'s actually six volumes, all the same height and width, one per borough plus an overview volume. Nobody seems to hasve a picture online. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/4 "2008-06-18T20:50:21Z")
Probably my giant OED dictionary that used to be my parents’ from the 60’s. One volume for the entire alphabet, little black tabs on the right edges of the pages for each letter. Probably about 7 inches thick, and the size of a 17" monitor. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/5 "2008-06-18T20:51:15Z")
I’ve got a single-volume edition of Malory’s _Morte D’Arthur_ which must be around the same size as **Interrobang!?**'s Warhol book … all the Aubrey Beardsley illustrations … Lovely book, but it’s a bit too large to hold in one hand. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/6 "2008-06-18T20:53:03Z")
Compact OED. Two volumes, eight pounds each, 4116 pages. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/7 "2008-06-18T20:53:38Z")
[The Complete Cartoons of The New Yorker (Hardcover)](http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Cartoons-New-Yorker/dp/1579123228/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213822348&sr=8-1) ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/8 "2008-06-18T20:57:48Z")
The largest book that’s just mine is probably my Complete Works of Shakespeare- from the Barnes and Noble sets of complete works, with the gold edging. But now that I think about it, the Gourmet cookbook, in all its yellow glory, might be larger. I think the largest book in the house, by weight, is either the very old Webster’s Dictionary (at least I think it’s a Webster, it was “removed from the field of play” due to it falling apart when you looked at it and I haven’t seen it in awhile), or my brother’s World War Two book, which weighs a lot not just because it’s probably 11" by 14", but because it’s all glossy paper. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/9 "2008-06-18T21:01:36Z")
A giant collection of all of Caravaggio’s paintings. It’s too huge to fit in any bookcase, so I just keep it under my bed. ---
**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 18, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/10 "2008-06-18T21:04:02Z")
[QUOTE=Steve Wright] I’ve got a single-volume edition of Malory’s _Morte D’Arthur_ which must be around the same size as **Interrobang!?**'s Warhol book … all the Aubrey Beardsley illustrations … Lovely book, but it’s a bit too large to hold in one hand. [/QUOTE] Damn! I wish you’d shown me that when I was in Oxford. Although maybe it’s just as well you didn’t. I can see myself drooling over it, and that’s a bad thing to do to a nice book. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/11 "2008-06-18T21:04:55Z")
The Complete Farside. There are two books, so those are tied. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/12 "2008-06-18T21:24:39Z")
The CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 87th Edition. Hardcover, 2608 pages. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/13 "2008-06-18T21:29:03Z")
It depends on what way I want to measure thing. My Collected Paintings of Norman Rockwell probably wins the perimeter award. My Family Bible would take the Sheer Mass prize. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/14 "2008-06-18T21:35:40Z")
This one is certainly in the running: > **[Subjects and Series | Harvard University Press](https://www.hup.harvard.edu/subjects-and-series.php)** > > Browse Harvard University Press titles by subject, facing-page library, series, or publishing partner and see lists of featured books and collections. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/15 "2008-06-18T21:37:34Z")
In terms of page number - _The Merck Manual, Seventeeth Edition_, with over 2800 pages. In terms of mass - some of my wife’s cookbooks are pretty hefty. \*Culinaria Europe \* is probably the biggest. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/16 "2008-06-18T21:46:51Z")
[_The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft_](http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Encyclopedia-World-Aircraft-Donald/dp/0760705925) I literally felt myself salivating when I first saw this book. And that’s all…really. Honest. ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/898d66/32.png) [@Mycroft\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_H)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/17 "2008-06-18T21:57:19Z")
Although I don’t have it in my own library, I do get to see [this book](http://www1.umn.edu/umnnews/Feature_Stories/A_book_no_backpack_could_hold.html) at the University of Minnesota’s Andersen Library every once in a while. It is _Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Himalayan Kingdom_; 112 pages, 130 pounds, 5 feet wide and 7 feet high. As for our own collection, the largest in size in a reprint on _Audubon’s Birds of North America_. I can’t recall how big it is (perhaps 24" tall) although it is considerably smaller than the original, and much cheaper as well. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/18 "2008-06-18T22:00:53Z")
I am thinking of buying this: [http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcoll/exhibits/bhutan/](http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcoll/exhibits/bhutan/) ---
**Author:** ![bubastis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bubastis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubastis)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/19 "2008-06-18T22:21:43Z")
[QUOTE=Snarky\_Kong] The Complete Farside. There are two books, so those are tied. [/QUOTE] This is what I came to mention, along with the complete Calvin and Hobbes. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397/20 "2008-06-18T22:23:37Z")
Probably [The Official Military Atlas of the Civil War](http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Official-Military-Atlas-of-the-Civil-War/George-B-Davis/e/9780760750445) (about the best $20 anybody who likes Civil War history at all can spend). It’s a reprint of the 19th century maps/etchings/miscellaneous plates and it’s 16.5 inches (42 cm.) long, not sure how wide, and I’d guesstimate about 10 lbs… I shelve most of my books horizontally instead of vertically since you can usually fit a lot more on the shelf that way, so this one has to stay on a closet shelf when not in use as it can’t fit vertically and to lay it on the bottom would require moving every book on the shelf. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-book-you-own/453397.md?page=2)