SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

I hadn't reviewed my RSS feeds for a couple of days but to my surprise I found a reference to this web page in an article on Sci-Fi Storm:

http://www.abebooks.com/books/collect...

http://scifistorm.org/article.pl?sid=...

I think it's funny how they hit you with the costly demand at the end of the article.

That is a collection to drool over. Still, I have most in readable copies. I wouldn't want to spill any coffee on these!

Oh I could never read a "collectable book". I'm very gentle with my books (never dog ear etc) but I also don't want to put on white gloves to read them. Their value to me is in the words not the paper and cover etc. A little crumb in the spine here and there - that's fine by me. It just shows me that I enjoyed it a great deal.

I have been a coffee spiller, but only a couple of times. With all the books I've read, I consider that good treatment.

Thank you for the link as I will have to check out that list when I want to read a new book by a new author.

I am with Robin. To me, the value of books is the contents, not the book itself. Of course, having been a reader for years, I have picked up a few book that are collectables---but nothing really rare.

Anyway, with few exceptions, I keep my books--not sell them as collectibles.

I have a huge library and have been forced to thin it more than once. My personal library is bigger than the local public library.

I do not sell my books or lone them. If someone borrows a book it is considered a gift. Thinning ends up at friends of the library sales.

For my favorite books I will haunt used book stores and friends of the library sales looking for the oldest copy in the best condiyion.

I have many first additions and signed additions as a result. But I do not treat any book as gold. For my rarer books I buy a cheap copy and read it .

I like to read while eating so I've had a few casualties. That's why I like ebooks! This is a great collection, although I've read a lot of them. But like Robin, I could never be a book collector. What's the use of setting them up on your shelves and never reading them for fear of damaging them?

This whole thing reminds me of the character in Inkheart - the aunt who had a house full of books etc. ;-) While I appreciated the collection she had, and she did (as I recall) read her books - but they certainly seemed to loose something once they were shelved.

I think collectors, like myself, get bad wraps. I have a good collection of many different genre's of books. I read them all, some are trophy collections and are worth sums of money, but none the less I've read all of them multiple times and they are still in immaculate condition. Heck, most of my MMPB many people wouldn't even known I've read them and could probably sell them on any given website as new. It's not a collector thing, I take excellent care of all things I dump my money into.

I like the thought of ebooks, but until a more open standard hits, I'm not biting. I can still do everything the kindle or Sony e-reader does with any net book, tablet or laptop. I hope the technology and acceptance gets there, but too many of my favorite authors would be left out for me to consider the e-book option.

Robin wrote: "Oh I could never read a "collectable book". I'm very gentle with my books (never dog ear etc) but I also don't want to put on white gloves to read them. Their value to me is in the words not the ..."

That's me too.

I live close to the bookstore that's offering them but don't know where it is. Now I want to go hunt the store down and see what else they have. :)

Kevinalbee wrote: "I have a huge library and have been forced to thin it more than once. My personal library is bigger than the local public library.

I do not sell my books or lone them. If someone borrows a boo..."

ditto.

I confess, I'm a total hoarder when it comes to my books. I don't loan books. Instead, I'll buy another copy and gift it. I am a true Bibliophile. I love books, the actual hold it in your hand, turn the pages, book. Personally, I could never use a Kindle - it's just not for me. I like the tactical feel of the book. I like to see the typeface chosen, the material chosen for binding and cover - I like the smell of the paper. Most of the books I've read look untouched - I don't bend the spine, or spill or dog-ear. And I like to keep every book I read because when I see the book, I’ll remember when I got, where I was, what I was doing, what I thought. It’s like a mental journal entry. It's like gaining a friend. Once upon a time, books were very rare and hard to come by. When you think of what the printing press did for the masses - it's simply astonishing. Therefore I think I just cherish them. Our whole lives are essentially stories; books bring our experiences and tales as close to immortality as mankind can come. They live on when we are gone.