We are having our sitting room redecorated in the coming week or so, new carpet, new colour on the walls, new hearth. This, of course, means emptying the room of all that is movable in preparation. In doing this I may have to acknowledge that I find it hard to say no to books!!
There are now numerous smaller piles in my study - these are gardening and art history
and two very large piles (almost teetering in fact) in my dear heart's study - the "oversize" collection of history and art history
This is the contents of just one room - it doesn't include: the two bookcases under the stairs (more art history, textiles, and design), three in my study (embroidery, textiles, mythology, philosophy, more history. poetry), four in his study (Africa, aircraft, general and history), one in the sewing room (embroidery, knitting and crochet), another in the upstairs "anything" room (more Africa, more history) and the small collection in the kitchen (cookery of course). A few have been put to one side for the charity shop box, but not very many. I may have acquired some of these since the last culling twelve years ago!
I wonder if one can take bibliophilia too far?
There is no such thing as an excess of books. Books are a comfortable tapestry of companionship, an invitation to exploration and contemplation, access to the thought and imagination of the past, the undemanding company of old friends, as well as the challenge to growth. Books are magical. Books make things happen.
ReplyDeleteOh what a wonderful set of thoughts about books. My opinions exactly, but expressed so much more beautifully. One might also add that they can result in a slipped disc when packing and unpacking after a house move, but that is a small price to pay!!
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