Mergath Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 As I was reading over the surplus of today's book threads, I couldn't help thinking how easily we toss aside books that we don't like. Not everybody, of course, but many of us, simply because there will always be a hundred more books to replace it. So it made me wonder- do people today have too many books? A couple hundred years ago, when books were quite a bit harder to come by, people would have likely cherished every line of each book, simply because that's what they had. If they were a bit bored by something, they probably didn't just quit, because their library may have consisted of only five books, and everything else they'd read literally a hundred times. If children (and moms :D) had a much, much smaller selection of books to pick from, and if books were very hard to come by, do you think we'd be better at reading, studying, and appreciating what we have? Would we be better off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 So many other factors to consider too, though. Before the information/technology/computer age, people probably had longer attention spans too and an ability to think more deeply. We suffer from information overload and have to learn to discern. I certainly wouldn't want to go back to the days of fewer books- because what I have now is far more opportunity to follow my interests and I am happy to discern what I wish to focus on in my lifetime and not put my energy into books that don't interest me. To me it is a smorgasbord and I am happy to have it. But its possible that the masses, while having more opportunity, more education, more information than ever before, are no wiser at all. In fact to me it looks like the masses are getting stupider, personally. But its too simplistic to say that less books is the answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I've never thought it possible to have too many books. I don't know if I, dh, or older ds would appreciate books more if we had less. I don't think we could appreciate books more. dd is a less avid reader. While she's finding her favorite genres now, I think she would not be bothered so much if her books were taken away. Younger ds has disabilities and is not reading yet, but enjoys being read to. At this time if he were limited to only a few books that we could read to him he would be fine and may in fact appreciate those more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 *Gulp* (stammering) Wha, wha, what do you mean too many books?? (sheepishly) I don't think so. :blushing: :) :D hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCamper Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I don't think we have too many books. I admit that we read maybe about one half of the books we bring home from the library. But I LOVE that my kids have choices about finding books that speak to them and that they love reading (they are upstairs reading in their beds now!). I do see the point of reading a book deeply, which can suffer in the land of many books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 So children with home libraries are not readers? Don't appreciate books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momofeat Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 If children (and moms :D) had a much, much smaller selection of books to pick from, and if books were very hard to come by, do you think we'd be better at reading, studying, and appreciating what we have? I don't know how fewer books would affect our appreciation levels, but I heard a speaker a few years ago refer to studies demonstrating a correlation between the # of books in a home and the level of education attained by the children. More books = higher education levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Goldwater Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 As I was reading over the surplus of today's book threads, I couldn't help thinking how easily we toss aside books that we don't like. Not everybody, of course, but many of us, simply because there will always be a hundred more books to replace it. So it made me wonder- do people today have too many books? A couple hundred years ago, when books were quite a bit harder to come by, people would have likely cherished every line of each book, simply because that's what they had. If they were a bit bored by something, they probably didn't just quit, because their library may have consisted of only five books, and everything else they'd read literally a hundred times. If children (and moms :D) had a much, much smaller selection of books to pick from, and if books were very hard to come by, do you think we'd be better at reading, studying, and appreciating what we have? Would we be better off? Intrigued by the bolded especialy...That's a really interesting question...I would agree we'd be better off, IF the scarce books were also of a high literary quality. If books were scarce and the books available were mostly twaddle, I'd venture that we'd be worse off. There is something to be said for the wide availability of books today, because if you check something out or buy a cheap paperback and it stinks (I mean, poor writing, lousy plot structure, etc), it can be discarded or returned and replaced with something better with minimal pain...I don't think I want to go back to a 'scarce book' era. But I see your point. It's easy to take an abundant resource for granted...and become lazy about its use and care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I'm madly in love with books, and I live across the street from an AMAZING library book store who in addition to selling great books for cheap, gives loads away every Sunday. Ask me what my favorite day of the week is.. :D I probably brought home 20 books this week, 3 just today. I don't think you can have too many books, especially if you pass on the ones you don't want any more. I now have a box in the back of my car where I've organized books I've picked up for other people. I feel like my book frenzy personality could have a positive effect on my friends and family. For example I have a cousin who's broke, so I'm working on a beautiful collection for his daughter. Every one I buy I wonder, "Will this be the book she remembers for the rest of her life?". Or my cousin, who's just bought her first home, will she find the perfect recipe in this vintage cookbook? I'd bet people did cherish the few books they had back in the day, and read them repeatedly. Thankfully (for me) many were well cared for, because I now collect antique and vintage books. It's a pleasure to take responsibility for them. There are books here that feel like we've read hundreds of times.. :) I think the more quality books in your home, the better chance to see things in some fabulous new way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 There is a world of ideas out there, and therefore a world of books. I would think it sad indeed if I missed reading a really good book because I wasted time slogging through a bad one. It would be tragic to miss new ideas because I'm buried in old ones. I'm not sure we can really know for sure that fewer books would make someone appreciate them more. There is also the possibility that one could stop caring about them because they aren't around. I think too many is a way better option than too few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Um, no. You can never have too many books. To me reading is as necessary as breathing. I love the look, the feel, the experience of reading. I love being surrounded by books. There is always something to read and be entertained by. If all we had to rely on was tv for passive entertainment, we'd be stupefyed. At least I would be. I don't think it's a matter of quantity. It's a matter of variety. Something for every mood. Show me a household full of books and I'll show you a household of readers. Educated readers. People who can occupy their time usefully. There is so much to learn from books. In my opinion, if there were fewer books, there would be fewer choices and not as many people would read. If books were hard to come by, yes I do think folks would appreciate them. As in anything, if something is valued and there is less of it, it is appreciated when you have it. But then it makes me think Fahrenheit 451. We don't want to go that route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 As I was reading over the surplus of today's book threads, I couldn't help thinking how easily we toss aside books that we don't like. Not everybody, of course, but many of us, simply because there will always be a hundred more books to replace it. So it made me wonder- do people today have too many books? A couple hundred years ago, when books were quite a bit harder to come by, people would have likely cherished every line of each book, simply because that's what they had. If they were a bit bored by something, they probably didn't just quit, because their library may have consisted of only five books, and everything else they'd read literally a hundred times. If children (and moms :D) had a much, much smaller selection of books to pick from, and if books were very hard to come by, do you think we'd be better at reading, studying, and appreciating what we have? Would we be better off? Reading provokes a person to thought & challenges prior ideas. The only logical end of reading anything is thought. As more reading material is available, there is more thought. Eventually, more thought produces more reading material as people write about their ideas, questions, etc. Not all of those ideas are good. Not all books are good. But as long as we can read and write, I believe that the quantity of books will grow exponentially, & any attempt to limit that would do far more damage to our rate of literacy or intelligence over all than either a poorly written book or a refined reading palette (whether or not there is any consensus on whether that palette is actually more or less refined, lol!) would do. So, no. I think the more books the better. I think that the freedom for anybody to publish anything online is brilliant & good. Perhaps even as good as the printing press, although a lot of what I've found, I do toss aside. Double standard? Nah. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzyfizzle Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn in OH Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I've never thought it possible to have too many books. We need more books! We appreciate our books. Every single one of them. And we want more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 That would be like asking if people today have too much air to breathe. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Nope! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Think of it like this. If this community didn't have access to a broad of array of classic literature how could we ever expect to have all these threads where the greatest authors who ever lived get thoughly trashed? :D Num, num, numb. Bill (who really needs to get back to sea) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 We have lots of books, lots and lots of books. (To give you a rough idea of what I mean, my 12-year-old son needs two bookcases to add to the two that are currently in his room. He had used up all the space on three, then broke one of those attempting to move it laden with books. Those bookshelves hold ONLY his personal books, not school books and nothing belonging to any other family member.) For us, it is absolutely not too many. And I don't value them less because I have a lot. I love books, as many as I can read. Books are, pretty much, the only thing I collect. I love them for reading and for decoration, too. I can't imagine how it would be possible to own too many. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I have to be contrary, and state that YES, you can absolutely have too many books. Our family has less than one bookshelf of books and about 20 from the library right now. I am an avid reader and my kids are following in my footsteps. I used to buy books just to have them b/c it was the "thing" to do as a homeschooler. I came to the realization that I was almost making idols of the books and spending too much of our family resources on them - too much money acquiring them, too much time managing them, and too much space storing them. My dc weren't treasuring them when we had so many. Some books were revisited as old friends, but only if the dc could find them. Now we have a much more balanced approach, and we savor the books we do read. We have good, quality books for the dc to read but not a broad selection. The library is always available for anything we don't have. I want my dc to spend just as much time outside as they do reading books. I want them to spend just as much time learning crafts/trades as they do reading books. I want them to spend as much time interacting with their family as they do reading books. Obviously books can aid in outdoor enjoyment, crafts, and family interaction. My previous focus on books didn't leave enough of our limited finance, time, and space resources for other activities. I feel that we are now balanced in our resource usage for books vs all other things. I am a natural minimalist. I have a driving need for less and fewer things, so YMMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I have to answer yes and no to this. I don't think a community can have access to too many books. I've lived in too many places where people who loved to read couldn't read because they couldn't find enough books to read. At one point my family did have too many books, but that's because we move frequently without someone else paying to move our books for us. It was impractical for us to have lots of physical books. We can never have access to too many ebooks though. But I don't need to own them myself if I can get them from the library. Personally though, I don't think it would be unreasonable for families with excellent access to books in their community and large home libraries to figure out how to share those books with those who don't have good access to books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I own a lot of antique books. I often imagine they were owned by someone with very few books. I love reading what others wrote in those books, it's a trip to the past. So I think I get what you are saying. I also would like to publish books someday. I look around the bookstore at the hoards of titles available and wonder what I have to add that would stand out enough for someone to buy. I feel a responsibility to have a decent story to publish a book, not just throw it out there because I'd love to see my name on the cover of a book. However, I don't think you can own enough books. Each book is an individual story or purpose. Dishes serve one purpose, you eat on them, I think you could have too many dishes (I know my mom does :lol:). Books, no. I'd hate to go back to the times when all of your knowledge came from one reader for the year. I love reading about unique specific things that would never be found in something like a McGuffey's. Books have increased my knowledge about many things, things I'll probably never truly experience, like climbing a mountain in the Himalayas. I'd hate to go back to be ignorant of the world because my books were limited. I'd hate to go back to the time when your knowledge was based upon what one person thought you should know. *shudders* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarcyB Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 More importantly (and I haven't read the thread), are too many books published that have no business ever making it to press? LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayne J Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 (edited) I have culled many many books from our library because I think one can have too many books. Now, before everyone stops breathing, let me say that the books I culled were junk. They were awful children's books with no literary quality, awful illustrations, and/or commercial tie ins. I have gotten rid of books that I read once and will never read again, especially if my library carries it. There seems to be the idea, especially in the children's publishing industry, that any old garbage is suddenly valuable because it has been bound in a book. It is akin to the public school cafeteria notion that ketchup is a vegetable, and as such is equivalent to a serving of fresh broccoli or carrots. Some things are junk, and are not worthy of taking up my shelf space. As my dc get older, they *will* have more say over what they choose to read and what they choose to spend their money on, buying for their own libraries. Until then, I decide. I serve healthy meals and quality ideas. (with occasional junk foods to keep life fun, lest you feel too sorry for my dc ...:001_smile:) That said, there are enough quality books to keep us all in book-revelling for a long time. It is more fun for me to search out the best for my family than to let just any old junk in. Edited February 23, 2011 by urpedonmommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayne J Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 More importantly (and I haven't read the thread), are too many books published that have no business ever making it to press? LOL :iagree::iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Wow, can't believe I missed this thread. You know, when fewer books were published, companies were way choosier about what GOT published, so I think those things were likely more worthy of deep thought. Now, I think one has to be very discerning because there is just so much out there. We have a lot of books (about 3500), but I try to be selective in what I keep. Lots more books than that pass through my hands for various reasons, from the library or just being owned for a short time, but I only retain really keepers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted February 25, 2011 Author Share Posted February 25, 2011 (edited) I just want to point out that I'm not advocating either way- we have over a thousand books at this point and I was an English major in college, so I'm certainly not anti-book in the least- however, I do find it a little sad that there's so much utter junk out there that a person could read a book a day for life without ever stumbing across anything good. I don't know, it's just something I was pondering in an abstract sort of way. And I'm not going to go on a crusade against book publishing, so you can all reholster your horrified smilies. ;) Just curious to see what people thought. Edited February 25, 2011 by Mergath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Here's no such thing as too many books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I just want to point out that I'm not advocating either way- we have over a thousand books at this point and I was an English major in college, so I'm certainly not anti-book in the least- however, I do find it a little sad that there's so much utter junk out there that a person could read a book a day for life without every stumbing across anything good. I don't know, it's just something I was pondering in an abstract sort of way. And I'm not going to go on a crusade against book publishing, so you can all reholster your horrified smilies. ;) Just curious to see what people thought. I get what you're saying (I think). We have a lot of books in our home but they are ones that are really loved. Not all of us love every one of them but we all have our favorites. I really dislike going to our closest library because there are sooo many books and most of them seem to be junk. It takes so long to find something good. There are also so many books that become "fads" but aren't really good literature and it seems that just about anything can get published. When we go to the bookstore and libraries it seems these "fad" books are front and center and I have to point out to my dds why they aren't really all that great. Of course, I know my definition of good is probably different from many others which is where the problem lies.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I just want to point out that I'm not advocating either way- we have over a thousand books at this point and I was an English major in college, so I'm certainly not anti-book in the least- however, I do find it a little sad that there's so much utter junk out there that a person could read a book a day for life without every stumbing across anything good. I don't know, it's just something I was pondering in an abstract sort of way. And I'm not going to go on a crusade against book publishing, so you can all reholster your horrified smilies. ;) Just curious to see what people thought. I ponder this too. And I'm sad that I am not able to let my children browse freely because there is such a high proportion of things I would not want them reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Wow, can't believe I missed this thread. You know, when fewer books were published, companies were way choosier about what GOT published, so I think those things were likely more worthy of deep thought. I dunno if that's true or not. I've seen rilly, rilly old books that made me scratch my head in puzzlement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Amanda~ Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I didn't read past the first page of responses, but I think its less that we have too many books but that there are too many out there. EVERYONE is suddenly an expert on any subject, and its hard to weed through the ones that are real gems. IMO, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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