A question for those who cull books

[neadods]

So, I'm going through the library with the intent of culling out 1/2 to 2/3 of the books.

For those who just gasped in horror, move along, this is not the post for you.

Still reading? Okay. Part of this is surprisingly easy - out go all old reference books (suricattus, I've set the Howdunit series aside for you), most duplicates (most but not all, because I cannot seem to part with any of my 3 print copies of Pride & Prejudice), series books where I liked only the first couple of books (which, naturally, stay) and yellowed classics (on account of them being downloadable for free, so why keep a ratty print copy?)

And some things are easy keepers - all the Terry Pratchetts, Dorothy Sayers, Thurbers. Anything signed to me. Books that I know I love. Books that it hurts me to give up even if I know that's illogical to keep them (the 3 copies of P&P).

But this leaves a surprisingly large grey area. Review copies that I sorta liked. Series books that I haven't touched in 20 years. Books I liked but the author has pissed me off (Hess, I'm looking at you.)

And hardest of all, books that I used to love but have no idea if I even like anymore. For example, I used to adore the Grub-and-Stakers series. I thought it was the funniest, zaniest thing ever. Only I went back to reread a favorite and what used to be cute was grating and stilted. I dumped it before I finished two pages.

I don't have time to reread them all, and in some cases I'm afraid to. Back in the day, I thought On The Eighth Day and Those Who Hunt the Night were the best books ever written so I'm more than a little afraid to crack the covers and discover they're crap.

If you cull your books, what criteria do you use? Would you keep something out of sentiment?

Comments

[xtricks.livejournal.com]

My criteria are: can I get this book again if I decide I loved it after all?

Have I touched the book in question in the last x years (five, three, ten).

When I look at it, as if it were a 'new' book, do I want to read it?

If I can get the book, I haven't touched it in years and it doesn't look interesting to me now, I would consider tossing it.

[tchwrtr.livejournal.com]

I cull books.

Things that stay:
The signed first editions
Cookbooks I use
Craft books I use (or plan to use)
Novels I would love to read again/are favorites
Travel reference that I find handy

Things that go/will be culled this time:
Books I don't like
Cookbooks I don't use/have never cracked open (but I'm lenient here)
Reference books that I never use (including some travel books)
Novels whose plots I can remember, and am not interested in reading again
Books whose plots I don't recall, and am not interested in reading again

If it's iffy, it goes. If I've put it in the "to be got rid of" pile and then get a twinge, I'll pull it back out and keep it until the next cull. The culls happen at least once a year, so every book has to pass the test...every time.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

can I get this book again if I decide I loved it after all?

In some cases, I'm asking "can I get an e-copy?" Because I don't feel a need to keep some of the paper stuff just out of sentiment if I can have the text. Especially if I can have the text always with me.

When I look at it, as if it were a 'new' book, do I want to read it?

Oh, that's a GOOD one! I'm going to use that!

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I tend to cull about every 3-5 years, but this time I'm going deeper than I usually do.

Hey, speaking of culling... one of the things on the block this time around are all the genre & kid mystery books that I used to collect - Lord of the Rings, etc. They're dated, but do you think Boy would like the original-text Hardy Boys mysteries?

[tchwrtr.livejournal.com]

Gimme.

Um, please. We're getting into reading--really, and truly reading now. I have three blue-cover Hardy Boys that I grew up with--I'm sure he'd love the rest.

Oh, and one of the books in current rotation is Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic. One chapter at a time. :-)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

You know that these are older than the blue backs? They're the original tans, when the boys drove a roadster and bought new ties for parties with their friends. Back before the Internet, I chased down old copies for the thrill of the hunt. (Now, there's no thrill; it's just a couple of clicks.)

They're yours. We'll work out how to get 'em to you... sometime soon (have any ideas on this?) and I'll put you on the shortlist for other stuff; I think I have extra copies of the Bellairs Lewis Barnavelt books.

I really hope faireraven's bunny is a girl, because otherwise, Boy's getting it all!

[lagilman]

I am brutal when it comes to culling (move 4 times in 5 years and estimate the cost of moving a 5k copy library, and you would be, too).

My criteria [fiction]:

1. do I want to keep the entire series intact?
2. is it something I will never be able to lay hands on again? (I have some Very Old Books)
3. Is it a sofa book? (a comfort read, basically)
4. Will it piss me off in six months that I can't lay hands on it?

I find it surprisingly easy to shed fiction, probably because I remember the stories so well in my head.

My criteria [nonfiction]

1. No, gimmie, don't you take that away...oh, yeah, all right, but let me make sure I'm not going to maybe need it two books down the road when it has exactly the stuff I need because NO you CAN'T find everything on the Internet, not in detail, anyway....

[evil_plotbunny]

Have I culled this before and ended up buying it again?
Am I apt to read this book again?
When I read the back cover, do I remember the book with fondness?
Am I apt to read this book again?

My fiction is in alphabetical order in several sections (separated by size in order to pack the bookcases). I have to go through the entire alphabet every few months to fit in the books I've read since the last time, so I look at each book or series and reconsider whether it needs to stay.



I did some deep culling when I was in college that I later regretted. I'm currently stalled in culling because I have boxes that need to wait until the roads are less treacherous so I'll feel comfortable driving the hour and a half to the Niantic Book Barn to trade them in for credit. There's only so many books I can put up on Paperback Swap or Bookmooch.

[fourzoas.livejournal.com]

If I really wanted to cull mass quantities? I'd release all of the grey area books into the wild. I can always get another copy if I really want to reread them, and if I'm that ambivalent, maybe someone else will really love them.

[tchwrtr.livejournal.com]

Boy's ahead of that bunny by six years--as he outgrows things and sets them aside, they can be lovingly handed down.

[longtimegone]

This.

I just moved and there is a place that buys used media. I thought I didn't have books to get rid of, but I currently have three reusable shopping bags full of those that I found didn't break my heart to part with.

I used similar criteria to those listed above. If I didn't feel a twinge, into the pile it went!

[neadods.livejournal.com]

is it something I will never be able to lay hands on again? (I have some Very Old Books)

That's a bit of a gimme - I've got a couple of rare books in that I would never be able to get them again, or if I did, it would take a lot of time and trouble.

You still want the Howdunits? I've got a stack of about 10 for you. Style guides are also on the chopping block.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Have I culled this before and ended up buying it again?

I'm more likely to have multiple copies because I thought "Oh, that looks good," bought it, stuck it in the TBRs, saw it, thought "Oh, that looks good..." So. Many. Duplicates that way!

I had an inadvertent cull just after college when the basement flooded. My parents saved my art, but left the books to swim. A friend of mine saved what he could, but...

[neadods.livejournal.com]

That's a good idea. Now to see if I have the fortitude to *do* so...

[evil_plotbunny]

This is why I carry around a book database on my phone. It's not 100% perfect (I'm too apt to trust my memory) but it works most of the time.

I've gone through at least three sets of the Little House books - getting rid of them and then accumulating them again via culling.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Hrm.... come to think of it, the Little House series is going to have its turn on the chopping block. I wonder if they're e-available? I know I can get *them* out of any library I want, but I like reading Long Winter on snow days.

[evil_plotbunny]

I've come to the conclusion that given the choice between e-books and regular books, I'll take a regular book any time.

I used to do the "get it from the library" rule, up until the library moved into its temporary location and I kept finding that the books I wanted were in storage.

[msp-hacker.livejournal.com]

I was thinking about culling my own Little House books, but when I read that my first response was "Dear Madam, you blaspheme!" I think I should keep them. = )

[redpanda13.livejournal.com]

For me, the hardest to cull are the ones that say something about who I was. I have to accept that the mounds of books I have on some topics are no longer relevant to who I am now, but that means accepting that certain phases of my life are over, or that I will never (again) do those things or study that field or write those stories/articles or take that trip.

As for books you loved years ago, it might be better to let them go than to try re-reading them and find that the magic they had for you as a child or teen is lost to you-- except in memory.

If you have a camera, make a nice display of them, take a photo for the memories, and then let them go. Works with other sentimental items too, even cars.

[shawan-7.livejournal.com]

In non-fiction, I keep the unique and the sentimental. I went through a lot to get books on Paris during WW2 - not ready to get rid of them yet. In fiction, sentimental mostly. I love the Darkover books and have most of the original MZB books. Haven't read them in years.

I could lose most of the Cherryh books but have no need to weed them out right now. I've got the space.

If I can find it in a library, it's likely to get tossed.

[spiffikins]

Growing up, my best friend's dad was not someone who had much to say - but I definitely remember a conversation where he told me that the biggest regret in his life, was getting rid of all of his books when he was in his 20's, because they were inconvenient to move with him. He said he'd spend the next 15 years rebuilding his library and there were still books that he didn't have.

I took that to heart - and by the time I was leaving home for college, I had accumulated a pretty large library already - lots of library booksales and used books.

I packed up all my books, but was lucky enough that my parent's house had room to store them for me. And other than a brief 3-year period where I had ALL MY BOOKS not only with me, but *unpacked* and in *bookshelves* - for the past 18 years, my books have lived in boxes, far away from me.

Of course, everywhere I've lived, I've accumulated more - but mostly I haven't had anywhere to put them, so after reading them, they would get tucked away, and every so often, I'd box up another batch and tuck them into storage.

Then my mom passed, and suddenly all my stuff needed to come home with me. Everything went into the garage for a year.

Now, I have an entire house - and all my boxes of books are with me. You'd think that I would be *in alt* at the thought of getting bookshelves and having access to them all?

But as I'm going through the boxes, and being reminded of what's in there - I'm finding more and more that there are a lot of books that...I'm not excited about re-reading. After 10, 15, 20 years - I'm not the same person who read those books.

I'm definitely working my way up to a major cull, I think!

[flaviarassen.livejournal.com]

We have problems at our house, because I want to cull the cookbooks that The Hubby (tm) wants to keep, & sell the books that he collects solely because they are collectible & he never reads (They are worth a fair amount, & that can never be bad). So I try to set a good example & get rid of books, only to have him take up the space for more of his books... Then again, I have held onto textbooks for far longer than I should (except the one that the teacher signed with a little testimonial - will hold onto that one like grim death!), as well as kitsch/gifts from people who sort of know what I like (I think the classic example was the Diana book from someone who thought that since I read a lot of British Royal history that I would, of course, love it (eyeroll)....! Ok, THAT one went, but I do have some junk - I think it's out of self-defense!).

[teenygozer.livejournal.com]

I give away books I don't want to read anymore, but only if I can find a good home for them! If not, I'm stuck with them. And I don't mean just handing them off to the Salvation Army--it's got to be someone who wants the book, who it's right for. I don't remember who taught me that one must have respect for books, but I do -- Lord, do I do!

I knew I'd never re-read my old-school sci-fi books (who knew they were so sexist when I read them as a kid in the 60s and 70s?!) They found a good home with the guy who frames my art after we bonded over a love of classic Dr. Who. Then I gave away all of my fanzines, 39 boxes, to the University of Illinois, where they do fanzine studies. Last Christmas, the little girls of an out-of-work friend got a 2-foot stack of beautifully illustrated children's books, from Beatrix Potter to the Compleat Eloise. I hear the kids went nuts!

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/teenygozer

That's about a third of the books I have left, heaven help me.

(If you ever need to ship or short-term store books, check with your local comic book store to see if they'll give you the boxes that Diamond Comic Distributor uses to ship them their comics every week. They are quite strong and most stores just flatten and recycle them!)

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

Honestly, the size of my apartment makes me more ruthless than I would be otherwise, but I think of it in terms of "so many books, so little time" -- even when I quite liked a book, is it something I would honestly ever find the time to reread? Or, in my case, is it something I can imagine teaching or using in a paper? Occasionally this involves my keeping books I actively despise (I used Twilight in my "Lord Byron and the Modern Vampire" talk, which is likely to become a journal article so I own a copy of . . . that), but mostly it's effective.

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

Teenygozer: Have you looked at paperbackswap.com? The dangerous bit is that you get points that lead to free books (one for each book you send out), but it's a great way of finding people who really want your specific books. [And they do a school library charity drive every December, so I donate points there in a vain effort to acquire less . . . ]

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Yes, if that's your first reaction, you're not ready to let 'em go!

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but you *use* that book. My biggest problem is the books that I archive out of sentiment but do not read.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

The only comic store near me went out of business... and to tell the truth, the way they treated the alien presence of a female every time I went in, I danced the day they went under.

That was ugly to confess but... not a big fan of the comic stores these days.

As for good homes - the last time I did a big purge, I gave everything to the library where I grew up for their booksale. Now everything's going to go off to (and in many cases, back to) The Book Thing because I think it's such a fabulous charity. Except for the stuff that's going to specific people.

Someday, I should look into the U of Il fanzine project, because I know I've got some that I don't want (and probably aren't worth the effort to sell on ebay.)

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

Again, my studio apartment keeps me from too much sentiment . . . although I *don't* need that second copy of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell . . . but it's got the red cover . . . so yeah, we all go there sometimes.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Where is he planning on selling? I've got a couple of valuable books but no idea how to sell them. I don't want to just lob them on ebay - for instance, one's signed by Rowling, but she has the most imitated autograph out there, so I'd rather take the cut of selling to another collector who knows it's real.

PS - I held onto my textbooks for 20 years. Then I sold 'em on half.com, where I got surprisingly big bucks for 'em.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

After 10, 15, 20 years - I'm not the same person who read those books.

THAT has been the biggest emotional issue for me as I do any of the house clearout - processing that I'm not the person who once really liked X, Y, or Z and that that's okay. Because sometimes it feels like I was either stupid to care in the first place or stupid now to not be interested anymore, when it's just normal growth.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

If I can find it in a library, it's likely to get tossed

Good rule!

[neadods.livejournal.com]

If I let 'em go, I don't need reminders - if I don't remember it, then I won't miss it, if that makes any sense.

I have to accept that the mounds of books I have on some topics are no longer relevant to who I am now

That is one of the BIG, BIG things I'm having to deal with whenever I clear out the house. It can be surprisingly hard to process that stuff that was once important isn't anymore, and *that's okay.*

[flaviarassen.livejournal.com]

He's not planning on selling anything - that's my beef!

[sassy-lion.livejournal.com]

I have pdf copies of 9 LHotP books. They're yours if you'd like.

[silmaril.livejournal.com]

I have no usable comment in this area, but I will be watching this discussion with great interest, because this is something I need to learn, too.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Sure! I didn't know they'd been released in pdf.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Heh. I'm thinking of getting an e-copy of Strange and Norrell simply because my hardback is so heavy!

[neadods.livejournal.com]

So far, if I love it, it stays; if I've only held onto it out of sentiment (many children's books) it goes to a home I know; if I think it's kinda cute, I'll try to replace it with an e-copy. And if I don't have feelings about it at all, it goes to The Book Thing.

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

That's why I acquired the red-covered trade paperback, but yeah, I'm thinking of getting an e-copy as well, since for me JS&MN is very much a rereader. I've already done the same with the Pevear & Volokhonsky translation of War and Peace (which I loved but still surrendered on because of the unwieldy size of my hardcover), and I'm wondering if I'd be more likely to get around to reading Anathem with an e-copy. . . There's something so appealing about massive books, until you actually try to, you know, read them.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

There's something so appealing about massive books, until you actually try to, you know, read them.

Yes! I know a lot of people talk about the ipad being too heavy, but that doesn't take into account honkers like The Perfect Prince or JS&MN, or half a dozen other books.

[fyrdrakken]

Considering how much of my library spent years in a box or on a shelf living at someone else's house, my criterion tends to be -- Did I want to reread this when I couldn't get to it? Do I think I'll ever want to read it again? I need to do more culling along those lines, with an added consideration -- How bug-stained or water-damaged is this copy, and am I likely to be so desperate to reread it that I'll probably just wipe it down with a damp paper towel? (Though anything I love that much -- Discworld books, for example, which are in bad shape but still dear enough to ignore the speckled pages -- is a leading candidate for getting rebought in Kindle format anyway.)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

How bug-stained or water-damaged is this copy, and am I likely to be so desperate to reread it that I'll probably just wipe it down with a damp paper towel?

Unless the book is completely irreplaceable, I'm dumping anything in bad shape or badly yellowed. I just don't enjoy reading books in that state.

I'm slowly putting all of Discworld on the ipad, as I can afford to get backup copies. But I'm not getting rid of the original texts (fortunately, mine are in good condition.)

[fyrdrakken]

Way back when I was in high school there was a bit of interior flooding that soaked through to my bedroom closet and the boxes of books stored in there. And there were a lot of favorites in there, and I didn't have the money to replace them. And within the last ten years there's been an issue with my book storage being in a bug-infested storage shed or the garage -- particularly in the case of the most recent purchases or the old favorites that I was rereading at some point. So, yeah, a lot of my books need to be trashed rather than resold, and there's an added motivation to be rebuying the often-reread favorites in e-format.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

A lot of my college books got soaked when the basement backed up. No bugs, but it took YEARS to replace all the books.

Ebook format would solve several of those problems; a soaked reader can be replaced and have all the same books added, and I've never heard of bugs getting into one.

[fyrdrakken]

It's really only very recently that I've started thinking in terms of actually replacing the damaged or icky ones. (Partly because my current storage "solution" is so hard on my favorite books. Referring back to the comment I left on another entry about living with a proto-hoarder, there's the problem where people who aren't me feel free to move around my boxes of books, stack things on top of them that make them hard to access and crush the boxes, transfer them from an indoor storage space to outside where more things can damage them while I'm not there to see where they're being moved to.)

I've been thinking of a severe culling for a while now, realizing that so many of the books I was buying weren't worth reading again and certainly weren't worth the storage space -- it's the e-book option that got me thinking in terms of replacing the books worth keeping. I have very little room for storing books, even less for keeping the good ones in good condition, and finding the older books for a reread is a ridiculous hunt through a jumble of boxes that tend to have been moved around by other people since last I dug through them. I'm starting to think that the urge to reread a series is a sign that I need to replace that particular set of books with e-format. (Because it's not like I never rebought a book I knew damned well I already had because I couldn't find my copy, nor borrow it from the library, and I wanted to reread it now.)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

My problem isn't rebuying books I know I have, it's rebuying books in the to be read stack because they look interesting and I haven't read them yet.

Ebooks are helping in that because I can see what's in that stack - and furthermore, it's a sample, so I won't get 5 pages in and think I wasted my money.

[fyrdrakken]

Yeah, I had a similar issue where I would check certain books out from the library when they came out in hardcover and then buy them for myself when they hit paperback -- I could remember that I'd read them, and even remember that I'd read them as library books, but couldn't remember if I'd gotten around to picking up my own copy or not. I used to have a spreadsheet just for keeping track of all my books -- and then when that computer died I lost the file and just had the hard copy that I never got around to retyping into the program I used for the new list, and then I got the PDA and was using a completely different program, and then the PDA died and I switched to doing everything on the Blackberry and couldn't find a program I really liked for the purpose... So, yeah, another reason to severely cull the paperbacks and rebuy the important ones in e-format, as well as switching to e-format for all new purchases if it's available.