This is humbling: After the move, I’ve been staring at a mountain of books. Actually, it’s more a mountain range, with several peaks. The only thing neat about this catastrophic mess is that the books are all in boxes.
Freya Howarth recently had an interesting article in Psyche about people who collect books. Her view: The difference between a random pile of books and a library is the process of curation.
Her article will make you think about many things. Here are three:
• About how your library is autobiographical, reflecting the interests of your younger selves, as well as what now passes for your mature, seasoned character.
• About how there are classics, common to the culture, and how there are personal classics, the books that have, in her lovely phrase, “an enduring place in your own reading life.” I’m reminded frequently these days what a remarkable and exasperating thing taste is.
• About how it’s important to have a record of your reading life, to be aware of the books and writers who have influenced you.
I’ve promised myself to go through my books. I have room for a hill, not a mountain, certainly not a mountain range.
• Freya Howarth, “How to Nurture a Personal Library”; Psyche, 14 September 2022.
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