7 ms·

In 2007 I would have agreed with pg regarding books being different. In 2013, I've gotten rid of all but maybe two dozen books with sentimental value.

grecy 14y ago
I couldn't agree more. Books are big, heavy and don't hold much value#. They cost a lot to store and a lot to move from place to place. I got rid of almost all mine, and now use the local library extensively, which is very enjoyable. # Unless you have a signed first ed. or something, in which case you're collecting antiques, not books
- flyinRyan 14y ago
  I just switched to ebooks. Now there's no weight problem, no space problem. I can't sell them, but as you said; they didn't hold value anyway.
thorum 14y ago
I went through the same transition, but only because e-readers were invented.
gatsby 14y ago
Similar story here. I used to own several hundred books but decided to pare down to about 20 over the last few years. Aside from making moving a breeze, the best part is that my favorite books are now conversation pieces for my friends/visitors and I. People come over and immediately dive into my coffee table books about SF's architectural history and will usually mention something about one of the biographies I have on a shelf nearby.
dennisgorelik 14y ago
Even back in 2007 I knew pretty well that books are no better than any other stuff. But it does not end there. Pure information (stored in the cloud or wherever) is also "stuff" and should be constantly cleaned. Keeping pure information does not cost as much as physical stuff, but it still has quite some overhead: you have to index it, back it up, remember how to access it etc.
- kkwok 14y ago
  Agree strongly with this. Because pure information lacks a clear limiting factor (space in your apartment) I find it to be even harder to handle. It builds up fast, and if I don't clean it out every few months the noisiness of it makes it almost unusable.
rquantz 14y ago
A couple of times a year my dad gives me a new book with a handwritten inscription in it. I will not get rid of even one of these as long as I live.

grecy 14y ago

I couldn't agree more. Books are big, heavy and don't hold much value#. They cost a lot to store and a lot to move from place to place. I got rid of almost all mine, and now use the local library extensively, which is very enjoyable. # Unless you have a signed first ed. or something, in which case you're collecting antiques, not books

flyinRyan 14y ago
I just switched to ebooks. Now there's no weight problem, no space problem. I can't sell them, but as you said; they didn't hold value anyway.

thorum 14y ago

I went through the same transition, but only because e-readers were invented.

gatsby 14y ago

Similar story here. I used to own several hundred books but decided to pare down to about 20 over the last few years. Aside from making moving a breeze, the best part is that my favorite books are now conversation pieces for my friends/visitors and I. People come over and immediately dive into my coffee table books about SF's architectural history and will usually mention something about one of the biographies I have on a shelf nearby.

dennisgorelik 14y ago

Even back in 2007 I knew pretty well that books are no better than any other stuff. But it does not end there. Pure information (stored in the cloud or wherever) is also "stuff" and should be constantly cleaned. Keeping pure information does not cost as much as physical stuff, but it still has quite some overhead: you have to index it, back it up, remember how to access it etc.

kkwok 14y ago
Agree strongly with this. Because pure information lacks a clear limiting factor (space in your apartment) I find it to be even harder to handle. It builds up fast, and if I don't clean it out every few months the noisiness of it makes it almost unusable.

rquantz 14y ago

A couple of times a year my dad gives me a new book with a handwritten inscription in it. I will not get rid of even one of these as long as I live.