Monday, March 21, 2011

Books

They’re everywhere. I’m being overtaken by them. One entire wall of CasaMinimus is floor to ceiling bookshelves and there’s long since been no vacancy therein.
They’ve been under chairs and underfoot.
Propped up randomly.
And in some cases, preening chronologically.
Desperate times call for desperate measures so we now have books in the kitchen. Shut up.
So I bought these really neat book cases in an attempt to house the refugee books that found no room at the Floor to Ceiling Inn.
But we now have a space problem that even additional book cases can’t really mend. So we’ve got books in the bedroom.
There's still enough room for a few peeps to come over. Small peeps mostly. Wanna come over and see my etchings?
Or perhaps you'd be more interested in my monkey?

Onward…Philly Burbs and Boston this week.

ADG II. Reading.

30 comments:

CashmereLibrarian said...

And this is a . . . problem? Don't forget the bathroom; I find it's handy to have books there to.

Mrs. Blandings said...

Redefining Health Care? Really? You, too? I could read that one 100 times. Never gets old.

Main Line Sportsman said...

Philly Burbs huh? Got any other rare and expensive clothing you care to immolate?

NCJack said...

I can appreciate. Though I make a library donation run about once a quarter, with a trunkload, the "keepers" are now threatening the floor joists. I'm considering a Kindle, but I so like the feel of a REAL book. And going to a shelf to check a reference is still easier for me than to scroll through a "data base".

BTW, my condolences on the "smoking jacket"

Sandra said...

A Beautiful Sight to Behold. xoxo

Young Fogey said...

Please don't ask people to touch your monkey! It'll give away what the D in ADG stands for.

There's a cure for your book infestation. It's called "a wife."

Barring that, there are used books stores, and also the ABE Books buyback program.

If you're looking for a tax deduction, you can donate to a local library or charity.

Of course, if you sold enough of your collection, you would then have money to build an addition to the house to put the collection into--except then you wouldn't need it. Talk about The Gift of the Magi!

lisa golightly said...

Can't stop laughing ... I agree with the bathroom !

ADG said...

LisaGogolightly...The bafrooms are loaded with black and white pictures on the walls and I don't want to sacrifice them. I hope that all is well with you.

FogeyYoungMan...Man, you are giving me a hard time lately. The "wife" option scares me but thanks anyway. But thanks for the other suggestions...I DO need to cull the herd and either sell them or donate them. I live in an area where a thousand square feet costs at least a half million bucks so I'll just hold on to the small casa that I currently have.

NCJack...yep...that's me. As someone mentioned to me re Kindles etc. ... "I can't smell a kindle"

Preppy101...indeed.

MainLiner...I'm out at some joint called Normandy Farms and I've got another option tonight with someone more attractive...you of all people won't be offended by that news I'm sure.

Mrs. Blandings...you are pulling my leg no? Porter's book is a tough read and I can't imagine that you would be interested in it. You are kidding me right?

Cashmerian....gots no room in the bafrooms.

James said...

As much as I would like to see CasaMinimus I assume the etching invite was for the gentler sex( well not too gentle). As for Kindles, no one will ever call them a tome.

M.Lane said...

What a great post. I have lots of books about also although as a married man I have most confined to my library/den which is a small room off the master bedroom. I love looking at what books people have when I come over to their homes.

ML
mlanesepic.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Hehe. Your house is my greatest dream and my Darling Hubby's worst nightmare...

Gretchen said...

Do you loan out your books, or are you wary of never seeing them again? I cull some books, but find just after I've rid myself of one, I want it back. Like 2y ago when I moved, I got rid of too many and rue the day. And your etchings are equally astonishing. Advice? use the books as furniture.

David - Deep South said...

Have loved your site for quite a while. First posting!
We probably have many titles that match one another's and I fully understand your love of reading and books. Organization would make this more usable and attractive. Many of my books are housed in built-in shelving. It's not astronomically expensive - I promise. I also think books are far better looking when they are all pulled to the front edge of the shelves rather than pushed to the back. Periodic culling is also not a bad idea but I seldom do it. There are thousands in my house probably. Enjoy all of yours!

Rev. Dr. said...

I'm thirty-years-old, about to get married, and my house is beginning to look like this. And that's not a problem. Beyond the fact that it is an open invitation for guests to question us about our reading selections and views upon them, they are all a valuable resource for later perusal. Both of us are still in school and nearly every book, no matter how incongruous, seems to have been valuable as a citation for something at one point or another. Next is the thought of children. I marveled at the small amount of books my mother had and seeing that my collection is already five to six times that, I can only hope that an eventual child will hole up in the office and grow along with the collection. From the books I cherished and kept from childhood to books on foreign policy and political voting habits of the religious. Don't ever throw any book away. A child may grow up to desire that book someday, but only if it is still there to find.

Great collection, ADG. Add to it.

Patsy said...

I can see where you'd like to smell Apparel Arts, but Redefining Health Care?

Pigtown*Design said...

perhaps you'd like to come to b-more one weekend and make a significant donation to the book thing. of course, it would probably be a nil-sum game with you taking as many as you gave.

ilovelimegreen said...

You write this post just a few days after I rearrange three bookcases of books and somehow have lots of books that won't fit ANYWHERE- I have to wonder if I have discovered an exception to a law of physics. (Now, ADG, should I no longer keep my eyes open for books that would appeal to you?)

Summer is a Verb said...

You better hope ya don't have any moves in your book hoarding future. I'd rather haul a sofa bed, on my back, up 3 flights of stairs, with my eyes closed then EVER lift another book box. Besides that, I also discovered the glue used in the bindings of old books attracts silverfish of the cashmere and bespoke wool eating variety. The Easter Bunny needs to bring you a Kindle this year...XXOO

Main Line Sportsman said...

Normandy farms....that was a beautiful large working Farm for many years....the whole area was farms until the past few years of development mania.
I wish you good hunting this evening!

JMW said...

Surrounded by books - I would have it no other way. :)

Scale Worm said...

I have a similar issue 'cept added to my bound cellulose piles and filled shelves is my ginormous audio addiction, that if photographed and shared publically would trigger two burly men bearing a stout white long sleeved Off-white canvas jacket to pay a visit...

yoga teacher said...

I love the red book cases on the blue wall!
One of my clients, an interior designer, gave me design consults for a year for Christmas. We're having little tiff over the space I've given to books. (But she also turned me on to Daniel Silva!)

Laguna Beach Fogey said...

Nothing better than rooms stuffed with books. But...have your *read* them?

ADG said...

FogeyMon...funny how people will buy old bindings "by the yard/meter" to adorn bookshelves. Seems silly to me. YES, I've read 90% of everything on my shelves. Reference books and Apparel Arts haven't been read cover to cover...admittedly. And I petered out before I could finish Wolfe Hall.

YogaTeachWoman...there ain't no red cases or blue walls baby.

Scale...there's some stuff that I've got whose pictures would scare people. I know.

MainLiner...quaint. That's how I'll characterize it. Too bad about all of the development.

AllieVonCaliperessaDeMexico-co-co...I HIRE people to move my stuff. Silly girl.

LimeGreenerini...you should always be on the lookout for stuff that I'd like. Books, old things at auction and randy women.

MegTown...YES...I need to bring a haul of books up there. Indeed.

PatsySmell...YES...Redefining Healthcare smells like bacon. And I like bacon.

RevDoctorTater...Indeed. LFG has her own shelf already.

DavidDeepSouthmon...I've got to have my carpenter come back and add another row of shelves to the built ins. And I'm moving all of the books to the leading edge of the shelf. Butcept the shelves that also house toy soldiers.

Gretcherella...I am a reluctant lender of books. Furniture...I've still got too much of that for my post marriage house-ette.

AnonDreamHouse...I'm most husbands' nightmare.

James...you got that right old buddy. Ladies only....after 8pm. That's when the fire dancing begins.

Thad said...

Looks like my dream house! I am lucky because I married someone who is almost as book obsessed as I am ... so, we have bookcases in nearly every room of the house that are completely full! Plus about 200 cookbooks that hide under the bed ... but those need to go away ...

If you need to kill some time in Old Town, have you checked out the National Inventors Hall of Fame at the USPTO Campus?

Young Fogey said...

ADG wrote:

FogeyYoungMan...Man, you are giving me a hard time lately.
---
Well, if I don't keep you on your toes, who will?

Main Line Sportsman said...

Stopped by Chris' Jazz this evening. Mark wanted to know where you were and if you had survuved Flusser flambe'....Chef has sworn off all coffee and Red-Bull...and next time we go there remind me to introduce you to Mistress Rebecca.

ADG said...

MainToneLine...come on man! Why the hell didn't I meet a Mistress Rebecca the first time? Long as she's a woman. You never know what kind of "Mistress Rebecca" day is in that joint"...

Main Line Sportsman said...

She was not there that evening. She used to work as a barmaid when I owned the joint. She skipped to Boston for a while but is back now...and behind the bar again...

Ian from Downunder said...

Overun by books eh. To bibliophiles like us, that should be heaven. As someone once said, "if you have room for more books, you haven't got enough books. I'm sure a clever chap like you will find the extra room. The photos of your home indicate a man of style and excellent taste so how about a few more? All the best from Melbourne.