Hi all,
wasoxygen sent me a photo of his bookshelf: Is this a window into his inner landscape? Is your bookshelf a window into yours? Do you have to be over 30 to even have a bookshelf? Please enlighten us.
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Thank you all for letting us browse your bookshelves. I'm sorry I can't oblige until I figure out how to do it. In my tiny office here I have three overstuffed IKEA Billy bookshelves, wallsfull in other rooms. Boxes and boxes in a basement elsewhere. Each book contains a time and place from sometime in my life -- even if I did not read it - and yes, there are many unread books. Sometimes I'd write inside the cover the date and city where I found the book. Sometimes I'd read with a highlighter. For example, I went looking for some Plato in my shelves this morning to see if I could unite with the rest of you. Instead, I found two Aristotle books and a copy of Jean-Paul Sarte's The Age of Reason. Many years ago, I highlighted this passage: Do you highlight? Open a book from your shelf and quote me a passage. demure Owl flagamuffin AshShields elizabeth thenewgreen dead5 insomniasexx bfv humanodon sounds_sound and most of all wasoxygenWhen Mathieu had pledged himself to Marcelle, he had forever renounced all thoughts of solitude, those cool thoughts, a little shadowy and timorous, that used to dart into his mind with the furtive vivacity of fish. He could not love Marcelle save in complete lucidity: she was his lucidity embodied, his comrade, his witness, his counselor, and his critic.
Was I between relationships when I highlighted that? I don't know. Was I longing for lucidity, for someone to embody it? Was I longing to be that for someone? Or was I missing solitude?
I sometimes highlight, or more likely underline and annotate, but most often I mark pages with dogears or scraps of paper with the initial line of the passage I'm marking just below the edge of the scrap. Sometimes the scraps have things written on them. Most of the time, I don't remember what my little notes were directly in relation to. Anyway, the book I pulled from my shelf was The Acid House by Irvine Welsh. The passage was marked with the following scrap of paper: I don't know whose handwriting is, but I very vaguely remember reading The Night of the Hunter. Maybe an old roommate made the recommendation? Anyway, the passage was the final two paragraphs of this short story: and marked like this: For me, this is interesting because I don't remember this story, but I do remember loving The Acid House and I know I've read through it several times. It also fits in with my fascination of human interactions and they play between the written word, perception and reality, so I wonder if this story has in fact been working on my subconscious for years and years while my consciousness has forgotten about it amid all the other stuff I chuck into my head. Good question.
I just read a passionate and convincing argument here for why one should write in books, especially library books. Back in the way back, books were considered valuable and precious. They were written by experts - who are we to contribute our scribbles, underlining, or highlighting to their wisdom? Books could be valuable, could be resold -- but marks of any sort would lower their value. As children we were told sternly never to write in library books, so we might have then adopted your process of writing up thoughts elsewhere. Writing in books can be distracting and misleading. Even so -- I think I should highlight more, especially the phrases that jump out at me that I might want to find again. Writing in books is have a conversation with the author. I suspect the author would appreciate it. Sidenote: Much has been made of William Blake's library and books where he left marginalia (by "much" I mean among Blake scholars or biographers). Be kind to your biographers, flagamuffin, and leave them some scribbles in The Silmarillion
Don't worry, my copy of Sil specifically is loaded with post-it notes from a "class" I taught over it last year. As for the rest ... the removal of choice is always a bad thing, and when you write in a book you remove a future reader's choice to read a pristine book, or even to write their own thoughts in it. I can't agree with ya.
Ah, but future generations have the possibility of finding a pristine copy of the book elsewhere, but if you remove their choice of reading a book with your annotations, there is no hope. For the record, I also cannot bring myself to scribble in books, though I sometimes find it fascinating to encounter the marginalia of others.
"Scribble" is a word that diminishes my point. Could it be that you and flagamuffin might yet be hearing the voice of a librarian or grade 2 teacher or parent admonishing you? In any case, most marginalia is idiosyncratic and indecipherable to others. My main point is to do it for one's self. Flag's method of keeping post-its and written notes probably works just as well. Ideally, one would highlight an important passage and use a post-it to make it easy to find later. Edit There seem to be two kinds of people in the world: those that allow themselves to write in books and those that do not.
-- Attributed to Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, 1781, upon receiving the second (or third, or possibly both) volume(s) of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire from the author. I recently purchased a pristine copy of Thinking Fast and Slow (just a couple of years behind everyone). I expect to find it stimulating, and will consider penciling some impressions into the white spaces."Scribble" is a word that diminishes...
That's true, and reminds me of a favorite quote:"Another damned thick book! Always scribble, scribble, scribble! Eh, Mr. Gibbon?"
This is an amazing thread, thank you lil. I found a better-focused image of my stack of books, partly obscured by the lemon tree which is no more. It was just chance that I had Hubski's favorite book in the top-left position. I am most proud of the volume I printed and bound myself, unable to find a a copy to buy (this was 1998, a few months after Amazon's IPO, but Project Gutenberg had been going strong for years). I have it on the authority of an e-Vox that cW is considering adding photos of his stupendous library, but he might need to be assured that there is no requirement that one have read every book depicted. Surely this is a window into one's inner world, or as close as one can get without rifling papers or opening journals. I have often seized an opportunity to scan book titles while a host's back is turned, ardent curiosity overcoming reluctance to pry.
This is definitely a clearer picture. I see now that you have The Little Prince and Grooks and so many other books that have lived with me so long. I'll try and remember to write out my favourite Grook tomorrow. EDIT: The Little Prince in both French and English. I just have the French version.
For a while I thought collecting Little Princes in as many translations as possible would be a worthwhile goal. I got up to four, but there is little point in gathering more if I can't get through a single paragraph. Already the French is a slog, and only possible thanks to familiarity and the illustrations, but El Principito is delightful. The Grooks were an unlikely find in a secondhand store. I should point out that almost all these books were bought used, lest anyone get the impression that the cracked spines are any credit to my literacy.
wasoxygen I couldn't find my copy of Grooks 1 - but I recall from memory - is this correct? Put up in a place where it’s easy to see.
This cryptic admonishment, T. T. T.
When you think how depressingly slowly you climb
It’s good to remember that Things Take Time.
You found poetry on my bookshelf; don't tell _refugee_. I haven't handled those books for a while, and was pleasantly surprised to find a picture of a monkey on a man's shoulder in Grooks, once clipped from a copy of Wilberforce Our Monkey. And Grooks 2 was defaced on 36 pages by glued-in frames from a Muybridge horse series in flipbook fashion. Your recall is nearly spotless. T. T. T.
Put up in a place
where it's easy to see
the cryptic admonishment
T.T.T.
When you feel how depressingly
slowly you climb,
it's well to remember that
Things Take Time.
Yes, thanks, that's it. The picture of the monkey raises another very obscure topic that perhaps flagamuffin might appreciate -- because even if he doesn't write in books, he might well stick related or unrelated clippings into books. Should you request it, I'll shake down some of my books and see what falls out. Meanwhile, I was intrigued by your volume of Kafka's Blue Octavo Notebooks where I found this passage - underlined: “Art flies around truth, but with the definite intention of not getting burnt. Its capacity lies in finding in the dark void a place where the beam of light can be intensely caught, without this having been perceptible before.”don't tell _refugee_.
I definitely will not tell her about your Grooks. I won't mention the Rimbaud either or a Dover edition of someone's selected poetry (I can't quite make out the author). I imagine someone left them in your shelf long ago.
I have stayed out of this thread because, frankly, I find taking pictures and uploading them to Hubski to be...a bit of a hassle. However, I assert that you absolutely can be under 30 and have a bookshelf. I have several. Sigh, you've convinced me now. I will upload a picture of my poetry shelf. (I have three devoted "book-storing" places/shelves. Sadly one is at my parents'. That is the one that goes floor-to-ceiling. The shelf at my apartment now is far too small. And my poetry books all go at my desk for easy access.) Confession: Sometimes I permanently keep books others have "lent" me. Maybe that is what happened with wasoxygen
I do this, ironically I am currently doing this with Rimbaud's Illumunations lil so if that's supposed to be some sort of dirty secret, oops. It's all just surrealist poetry to me! Probably a bit too drunk to be on hubski tonight. EDIT: holy SHIT wasoxygen I just noticed you have Least Heat Moon's book -- one of the best reads ever -- never really encountered another copy of that out in the wildConfession: Sometimes I permanently keep books others have "lent" me. Maybe that is what happened with wasoxygen
Blue Highways was acquired on the strength of a single recommendation from the housemate of a housemate, probably fifteen years ago. We weren't that close, so his opinion wasn't enough to get me to read the book, but such was his enthusiasm that I was never able to select that volume for disposal during any of the various space-saving purges over the years. Now that I have two strong recommendations, odds are good the book will soon be promoted from bookshelf to my bag, and in any case preserved from "trash basura śmieci" stickers.
I saved a million-lira note by pressing it in a book as we used to do with leaves, but now I don't remember which book so it is safe even from me. In my copy of Cien años de soledad (which I am sure I never got through) I found my written copy of a quote from some lit-crit treatment I found at the library:I'll shake down some of my books and see what falls out.
That would be just fine. I used to keep a collection of Things Found in Books, for which used book stores were also a good source. Ephemera like airplane ticket stubs told stories as evocative as those in the books.
Nor is it a problem for readers who hold with Roland Barthes that a text is not an apricot but an onion: not a fruit with a hidden kernel, but "a construction of layers (or levels or systems) whose body contains, finally, no heart, no kernel, no secret, no irreducable principle, nothing except the infinity of its own envelopes -- which envelop nothing other than the unity of its own surfaces."
-- One Hundred Years of Solitude: Modes of Reading by Regina JamesKafka's Blue Octavo Notebooks
Do see about posting an image of your bookshelves, would you please? Perhaps a friend passing through could take some snaps. It's a good practice for insurance purposes too. Unless you have something to hide ... I had no idea there was so much poetry in the house.
The Rimbaud was indeed a gift, but it is a cherished one. The Dover anthology is 100 Best-Loved Poems and represents a genuine attempt to cure myself of an unhealthy lack of appreciation for this art form. I kept it in the bedside table for a while, and probably read "Jabberwocky" most. Also visible is a slim dual-language copy of Erich Kästner's Aus seiner kleinen Versfabrik / From his Small Poetry Business. I kept this in the glove box for years to pass the time during oil changes and safety inspections. Here is one stanza (of five) from Kästner's poem "Some Poets Admit." While you sell soap, we deal in sentiments.
All sighs and sufferings -- as is our way --
We decorate with tasteful ornaments.
And flagellate our hearts three times a day.
yes, you should feel bad. It's worth saving just to give away to a depressed young poet you might run into. Nonetheless, thanks for the mentioning Rimbaud. I just pulled out my bilingual edition of Rimbaud Une Saison en Enfer & Le Bateau Ivre (New Directions Paperbook #9) and reread his biography. Died at 37 after a lot of running away.
That poem was well suited for me today. Thanks for that.
If you mean "leaving me out" as in leaving you off the intial invitation for people to participate, I sent it to people on the most recent photo challenge mailing list. You are absolutely right, however. I must keep you in mind regarding any book-related thoughts. btw, I love love love the box of personal journals. Edit: I think your comment was directed at wasoxygen though, re keeping things secret from you.
You'd be correct! It's actually one of the first few books I bought: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/barnes-noble-leatherbound-cl... It's actually pretty cheap, and it's a prose translation (Which while I personally liked, is not really how one should read these classics I suppose) but the design is neat. What I'm most proud of is my Deluxe Edition of Plutarch's Lives from the 1800's. It even has a neat little poem sticker from a previous owner called J. F. Pease:
Okay, that's fucking cool. I hope that someday I'm in a position in life to have my own decorated sticker with a poem about me to put in my books. I don't have Lives but I do have the Landmark Herodotus and it's gorgeous. Books used to be so pretty.
My bookshelf at my new apartment isn't very impressive at all. I lost a majority of my college books and recently read books when I moved back from Maine to LA and could only carry 75lbs. I have another bookshelf in my old bedroom at my parents with all my high school and young adult books and classics I read throughout high school. This is what I currently have at my apartment. The rest are on my Kindle.
"Sandman and porn" would have been a great answer in the if your house was burning down thread.My bookshelf at my new apartment isn't very impressive at all. I lost a majority of my college books and recently read books when I moved back from Maine to LA and could only carry 75lbs.
Extreme, because regular XXX just doesn't cut it.
I didn't even notice the porn at first glance. Then my cell phone rang and it was a booty call. When I looked back at the picture, I saw it more clearly. Proof of the subjectivity of perception? Note: It might be a joke about the booty call. I'm not saying.
I'm not sure where that exactly came from. It's was a running joke because we used to play hide and seek with it. Ready to make some soup? WTF! Why is there a porno mag in the microwave? There was a Big Booty one too that I found under my couch when I was cleaning last week. I threw it out because it wasn't Extreme, though.
I wonder if serious (hardcore) collectors of porn magazines (if there are such people) refer to issue numbers in the way that comic book collectors do. "Actually, if you'll refer back to Vol. 1, Number 3 or Hustler's Extreme XXX, you'll see that . . ."
People on reddit talk about their giant porn folders all the time, so there are porn collectors. I'd never heard of print porn collecting, but there are price guides so they must exist.
I saved/stuck Owl's post of a Neil Gaiman lecture. After seeing your book shelf, I will HAVE to watch it tonight. Meanwhile, perhaps you can get a picture of your old bedroom bookshelf while it still exists. Parents might want to rent your room or turn it into a yoga studio. On the other hand, maybe they are keeping it pristine and praying that you'll come back.
If you haven't seen his commencement speech, you should watch that, too. Absolutely great.
My bookshelf is not very impressive since I mostly borrow books from the library if my dad doesn't already have the book: I have a couple of comic books and art books I really ike. And Harry Potter. If I want to read a novel, I can always go look in my dad's library :) : (that's the russian half, the english/french half is on the other side)
You'll have to excuse my terrible-quality photos, I don't have access to a better camera over summer :c I just noticed Future Shock in the last picture, and it occurred to me that that's the kind of book I think a lot of Hubski would enjoy. Outdated in the best way possible (in that it's still pretty relevant). Worth picking up if you can find a copy.
Our books are scattered throughout the house, some on shelves and others upstairs in the attic in boxes. I suppose that this shelf is a typical one: It says more about my wife and I as a couple than it does either of us individually.
It's one of the most enjoyable reads I've ever had. My wife feels the same way. Such a fun book.
OK guys, I'm participating. This late in the game, don't expect too many people to see, but hey, at least for lil ;) I have several bookshelves. Or rather, two. I also have some boxes full of books as my roommate promised to build a bookcase and has been very lackadaisical in doing anything other than obtaining the component IKEA parts, and will not allow me to assemble it. (She said I wouldn't do it "the way she wanted." I said "...You don't want it done according to the directions?" It was an interesting night.) Because of my passion and vocal presence on this site on the topic, I decided to feature my poetry "shelves." The box you see is also full of books. Cookbooks, those, though. (Go on a separate case - the one not yet built.) This shot specifically taken to include Hubski sticker. Then I realized I forgot to open my doors. Folders, full of my writing over the years. Organized by season & year. Each folder corresponds to 3 months of a year, usually. Some folders may be extraneous. I find my applecrate of journals slightly more interesting. In closing, I saw we were talking about annotations. I believe they add value and interest to a given book. I always liked getting textbooks with annotations. At any rate I am a big commenter. I note my satisfaction, my dissatisfaction, my analysis. This is from one of my favorite poetry books of all time, Louise Gluck's The Wild Iris. I also dog-ear poems I like in a poetry book. That way I can pull one off the shelf, look at it, and know how I felt about the book as a whole. It helps me remember. (I do not have a good memory. I refer you to the applecrate of journals. I took up journaling in part to remember things.) Edited to add: the poetry shelves are loosely organized. Poetry books I haven't read on the left. Anthologies/journals in the middle. Poetry books I have read on the right. In the doors and on the lower shelf, all runs amok.
If anyone is curious as to the quotes on my doors, the first is Kerouac, a long-standing favorite: And the second is Sartre:"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars."
"Everything that exists is born for no reason, carries on living through weakness, and dies by accident"
I should hear about my test any day now. Today is my one-month "anniversary" since taking it and results take about 4-6 weeks. I'll let you know. As for me I am merely sad that my month of blissful ignorance is coming to an end. Soon, I'll know. I figure, either way I'll end up at the bar, in celebration or chagrin. Yes, Polish! It took me a bit to figure out. I don't know why it's in Polish. We have rolls of these stickers at work (beats me why) and I love them, so I like to liberate a few at a time. Unfortunately at this point I have more stickers than random places to put them. Perhaps I should volunteer to mail some out in the next stickers thread. I seem to collect odd stickers. The "Raw" sticker is from a kitchen.
I posted mine when I put it together in September. Will edit with a close-up so y'all can see the books, sparse as they are. I move a lot.
Here you go! Checking in with more Plato. I love looking at people's bookshelves. My collection of classics, my huge collection of Landmark history books and all of my plays are elsewhere. I also have around 50 of the best baseball books in print, but not here either. And probably 50-80 Hardy Boys books but those are in a box. Someday little wayward flagamuffin will settle down!
Did you get an autograph -- or a postcard -- at your meeting? Would love to hear the story. I spotted one of the Aristotle books; looking for Plato in these images reminds me of looking for Waldo.third shelf down on the right
Yes, a few doors down from a Modern Library hardback I can't make out. Looks like you have the Morning Star Trilogy as well; did it live up to expectations?
This is going to take forever. A friend shot a bunch of bookshelf pictures. I saved them to a file. I created an imgur account. I uploaded the picture to imgur which took a while. Now I will see if it copies here. Testing 1-2-3. Edit: Yay!! It worked. Now I'll start with a few of the poetry shelves. Maybe later some of the others. I tried Poetry Shelf 1 but it didn't work. I'll try again.
On the bottom shelf is The Missing Piece for thenewgreen.
I see a copy of Bliss, but it doesn't look like the one by Livaneli. After The Unbearable Lightness of Being I always started in the K section of the used book store, but I am not sure if I would appreciate it as much if I read it today. I didn't know that Coupland had a follow-up to Generation X. By JPod it seemed he was coasting. I had given up on my hopes of getting Kurt Vonnegut off my list of sosumis, but hadn't heard of Armageddon in Retrospect either. Maybe it's shorts I need. Is much of it non-fiction?