Too many books spoil the wee study?

Scary thoughts - I have most of my books from my home study fitted comfortably into the new study at Westhill. But I have the same number of books at College - Church History, Theology, Pastoral Theology and Spirituality with miscellaneous other stuff. Not a problem just now - but six years down the line when retirement might just about catch me up - what then? Those who don't understand scoff and see the easy answer as a major literary cull. Oblivious to the terror such vocabulary arouses, insensitive to the passionate attachment of soul to library of books, never occurs to such literary utilitarians that a library isn't an aggregate of disposable units, but an organic collection of people, places, ideas and conversations bound up with personal identity, individual history, human development and prolonged intellectual adventure.

So what to do? Thinking about it. Open to suggestions - but not suggestions that upset my inner equilibrium which is finely calibrated and depends on the presence of books collectively bonded together into not just a library, but MY library.Don't want to go digital - I love books not just text. Don't want to throw out furniture to make room for more bookcases - though that may well be negotiable, though the person I'll need to negotiate with is no pushover. Don't want to put books in storage, why keep books to hide them away on the off chance you MIGHT read them. I've always wanted books around me as companions I notice, acknowledge and spend time with. However in a previous post or two I did concede that pushed to the place of having to choose, I could reduce my library to manageable proportions. It's just that the reality is likely to be harder than the hypothesis, the empty claim, and the cheap boast! Meantime I'll do a W E Gladstine and work out how to cram maximum books into minimum space.

Never mind though - as long as I don't retire there won't be a problem :)

Comments

[Tony]

Too many books = does not compute. The problem is clearly too little storage space!

[craig]

It is not perfect but deep shelves can be double stacked, as long as you find a way of remembering that which is hidden. Otherwise I can look out for a TARDIS which occasionally appears in the park outside my window

[Graeme Clark]

time for an extension, that is, to your house not to your working life!

[andy jones]

Following Gladstone's example, you could always build a new library for your books, name it after an appropriate local saint (suggestions on a postcard please), and charge for bed, breakfast and reading rights.

[Richard]

I understand, I'm having quite a major cull at the moment (see my latest post where i'm giving some away) - even though many are books i would never reasonably open again it is a strangely emotional experience as so much personal biography is tied up with them.

[stuart]

Give me your books!

[lynn]

I'd be grateful for any doublers of commentaries ;-)