Do you have a book collection?

[swimmermom3]

Do you have a book collection? If so, what kind? I don't mean do you have a personal library. We are homeschoolers, so I expect that.:D Do you collect a certain type of book? For example, when we were young and without children, we had a passion for "settling in foreign country books." Think Peter Mayle or Francis Mayes. You know, give up your lucrative 6 figure job and settle in a charming, but decrepit fixer-upper in a scenic European country. This type of book went with our early days of home ownership and double incomes where we could afford to eat in ethnic restaurants and rent films with subtitles on a frequent basis.

 

Then we got older, had kids, got tireder. The books became more about travel in general, sometimes with family. We no longer drooled over fixing up houses anywhere. Since I started homeschooling, the nature of the books has changed again. DH now buys me birthday and Christmas books that are often about women who go off alone on an adventure. The settings always offer an opportunity to learn about a new topic.

 

One year, I received a book about swimming. No surprise there, eh? It was about a slightly crazy woman who swam the Bering Strait as a goodwill gesture between the United States and the former Soviet Union. She did it in a swimsuit, swim cap, and a lot of grease. Last year's birthday book was about a woman who rowed down the Nile (in honor of our ancient history studies.) This year's birthday book is Pink Boots and a Machete, which is written by National Geographic Explorer, Mireya Mayor. I can't put it down; it's a hoot! Dh bought it in honor of all the National Geographic adventure documentaries ds and I watch.

Edited April 29, 2011 by swimmermom3

[Daisy]

I've always collected vintage children's textbooks and readers. LOL. Long before I ever thought of homeschooling. It started when my husband's grandmother gave him all of her textbooks from the 1800's (and one even from the late 1700's).

[Stacia]

One year, I received a book about swimming. No surprise there, eh? It was about a slightly crazy woman who swam the Bering Strait as a goodwill gesture between the United States and the former Soviet Union. She did it in a swimsuit, swim cap, and a lot of grease. Last year's birthday book was about a woman who rowed down the Nile (in honor of our ancient history studies.) This year's birthday book is Pink Boots and a Machete, which is written by National Geographic Explorer, Mireya Mayor. I can't put it down; it's a hoot! Dh bought it in honor of all the National Geographic adventure documentaries ds and I watch.

 

Good to hear about Pink Boots -- I've had that on my 'want to read' list for a bit now! I will have to check out those other titles because I often enjoy reading 'adventure' books. (BTW, if you enjoy adventure, not just swimming, books, have you seen this list?) I have (but haven't read yet) The Man Who Swam the Amazon. Mentioning it in case you're interested.

 

I don't have much of a book collection. Though, even before I had kids, I would sometimes buy kids' picture books (just because I love picture books -- esp. art ones &/or Richard Scarry).

Edited April 29, 2011 by Stacia

[Mommyfaithe]

I collect vintage Grammar books, and I also, sort of collect beautifully illustrated versions of classic children's literature.

 

Faithe

[swimmermom3]

I've always collected vintage children's textbooks and readers. LOL. Long before I ever thought of homeschooling. It started when my husband's grandmother gave him all of her textbooks from the 1800's (and one even from the late 1700's).

 

How fun! We know a math teacher who collects vintage math textbooks. He says there is no such thing as "new math."

 

Good to hear about Pink Boots -- I've had that on my 'want to read' list for a bit now! I will have to check out those other titles because I often enjoy reading 'adventure' books. (BTW, if you enjoy adventure, not just swimming, books, have you seen this list?) I have (but haven't read yet) The Man Who Swam the Amazon. Mentioning it in case you're interested.

 

I don't have much of a book collection. Though, even before I had kids, I would sometimes buy kids' picture books (just because I love picture books -- esp. art ones &/or Richard Scarry).

 

Stacia, I think I :001_wub: you! That is a fantastic list. I have only read a handful of the books on there and there are some serious classics. I think dh will have to up the number of birthday books if I am going to make it through all of them before I am 100.:D

 

You know, I love swimmers, but the hardcore ones are kind of nutcases. Your Man Who Swam the Amazon seems to fit the bill. On that same amazon page is the book by Lynn Cox, Swimming to Antarctica. She's the one that swam the Bering Strait. She also swam in the Nile with dog carcasses and was delighted to see that the freezing cold on one swim had so badly swollen her hands that she could use them like paddles with extra pull.:tongue_smilie: I think I enjoy reading about slightly crazy adventurers because it makes homeschooling seem so...reasonable and sane.

[swimmermom3]

I collect vintage Grammar books, and I also, sort of collect beautifully illustrated versions of classic children's literature.

 

Faithe

 

Faithe, I am curious. Why vintage grammar books? I totally understand about your other collection. I wish I had done something like that as with Kindles, I am afraid my grandchildren will never experience the joy of sitting down with such lovely books.

[Angel]

When I was younger and also when I first married, I collected old editions of the Bobbsey Twins books. I also had kept as many Dr. Suess books as I could growing up.

 

Now if I am in love with an author or a series of books, I will want to own all of them. They don't have to match cover titles or hardback or softback at this point. Eventually I will want to have matching sets but right now I just want to be able to pull a favorite series off the shelf and read it!

 

The series that I have collected and are complete:

Anne of Green Gables

Chronicles of Narnia

-both read over and over in childhood

 

The series I'm working on collecting:

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time (will have all when the last book is published later this year)

David Eddings - The Belgariad, The Mallorean, The Elenium, and the Tamuli series (I'm really close on these)

All of Jane Austen's novels (I have a collection book but want to own them individually)

The Twilight Books :blush:

 

I will sometimes purchase an old book if the price is right, but mostly with book money usually going to homeschooling, I will just wait and maybe pick those collections back up when I'm older.

[whitestavern]

We love collecting books! I own all of the 1940s era Nancy Drews and most of the Hardy Boys; also many Bobbsey Twins. Can you tell I liked mysteries as a kid??!! We also have a large collection of "chucking it all and moving to New England and running a farm" type books. DH has book collections on blacksmithing and woodworking. I have an extensive cookbook collection. We own about 100 Little Golden books (mostly older ones) and all of the "A Very Young..." books.

[Kristiana]

I've been collecting children's classics since I was young. Now I'm trying to replace my old paperbacks with beautifully illustrated hardback copies. I'm trying to give hardback classics to my children on their birthdays as well so they will have nice collections some day.

 

I also collect ABC books.

[Belacqua]

I collect books influenced by Homer's Odyssey. Some are fiction, some not (such as No Man's Land, written by a guy who tried to replicate, more or less, Odysseus's journey). Some are trashy, some are classic.

 

But I still haven't read my copy of Ulysses.

[Hunter's Moon]

I collect anything having to do with Colonial Times, Colonial Education, and old medical literature (thoughts on causes of TB and things of that nature).

 

Luckily, I get a lot free at my library (free books pile always has old medical literature).

 

Oh, I also collect older textbooks and by the time I have children would like a set of vintage textbooks grades 1-12.

Edited April 30, 2011 by BeatleMania

[Carol in Cal.]

I collect books about fiber.

 

Weaving, knitting, dyeing, picture books that refer to those, novels that are built around those...on and on...and ON.

 

And old books about Lutherans in America--mostly in English, with a few German ones for fun. Hymnals especially.

[Imprimis]

I have passed my love of book collecting on to my kids. We all love finding old, wonderful books by our favorite authors.

 

We frequently scour second-hand/thrift shops, used book stores, and antique stores for books.

 

I also have some of the "100 Greatest Books Ever Written" from Easton Press.

[nmoira]

My husband and I met because of our PK Dick collections. My weakness now is British children's lit and folk and fairy tales. We have a fairly large collection of each, as well as everything by PG Wodehouse. Oh, and I almost forgot my feminist utopian sci-fi and GLBT sci-fi collections. And I have *everything* written by Kage Baker.

 

ETA: And a growing collection of translated (into English) children's books.

Edited April 30, 2011 by nmoira

[LidiyaDawn]

I used to have a huge Stephen King collection but I had to give it away when we moved a few years ago. It did go to a book club, which made me feel a bit better about parting with it…

 

I don't really 'collect' any books now, since we'll prolly move again at some point and the less stuff, the better… but I do have all the Sookie Stackhouse novels. [waiting patiently for the next one…May 3rd!]

[carrie_irene]

Ohhh...I love this thread! My mom and dad are avid book collectors and they definitely passed it on to me!

 

DH has a huge collection on the history of Africa. He loves Africa. And also economics.

 

When I was 13, we lived in a small coastal town with a really small library. I had no friends and I worked by way, nearly book by book through the shelves of the library. That has inspired many of my collections. I am always looking for Miss Billie books. I won't "cheat" and buy them online....gotta find them like treasures in bookstores. =)

 

Also....Gene Stratton Porter books...old ones.

 

And DH and I enjoy adventure adventure/hiking/backpacking books.

[Geek]

I have a rather sizable collection of classic literature and biographies, titles originally written in English as well as those translated from various languages.

 

My latest acquisition is George Eliot's Middlemarch. It's on my nightstand. :001_smile:

 

The only other genre that comes close in size is one that shrugs off an easy label. I guess I could just call it "philosophy of science and mathematics", and it includes books by authors such as Douglas Hofstadter, Stephen Hawking, Einstein, and Richard Dawkins.

[Dolphin]

Other than Interview with a Vampire I have the rest of Anne Rice in First Edition Hardback.

[mcconnellboys]

I have weird sets of books:

 

paperbacks from my youth that I loved;

books related to anthropology/archaeology (which I studied in school);

an antique set of encyclopedias;

books related to anatomy and physiology (because I was a physical anthro major and most of my classes were bio related);

books related to law and paralegal studies;

a mishmash of books from recent years (although I try to keep those culled and just gave away about 3 dozen);

antique books of folklore and history;

an antique set of the complete works of Shakespeare;

all my National Geographics since I started getting them in 1976;

a hodge-podge of "coffee table" books covering various places round the world, art, and other subjects;

a collection of old books of poetry;

a collection of classics I started when I was in college;

my stack of books to be read (or read again) by my bed;

a hodge-podge of antique books we've picked up over the years;

all the children's books we've used and loved that we can't bring ourselves to part with....

[RoughCollie]

We collect out of print children's books from pre-1970. Our collection outgrew our house, and became the foundation of our bookstore which now has about 40,000 books in stock at all times.

 

Both DH and I read a lot when we were kids, so we started amassing the books we loved. I donated 900 books from my collection to the bookstore when we first started the business.

 

I severely weeded my collection when we moved. DH weeded 3,000 books from his collection and moved most of the rest to the office . I do not think of myself as a book collector any more.

Edited April 30, 2011 by RoughCollie

[EppieJ]

We inherited a collection of autographed Walt Morey books (think Gentle Ben) from our elderly neighbor. She was a retired school teacher who had met the author more than once. She just loved ds and wanted him to have the books to enjoy. They are a treasure, indeed.

[Mommy22alyns]

I have a collection of Sylvia Plath books. Books by her, books about her... It takes up almost one full bookcase.

[MischiefManaged]

Do you have a book collection?

 

No.

 

I have a book PROBLEM.

 

I have all sorts of 'collections'.

 

*sigh*

 

I actually joined here just to start selling some books, and still can't bring myself to post a sale...... :001_huh:

[jenn&charles]

Children's books and vintage textbooks...

and over 70 linear feet of other books! :D

I love books. LOVE them.

 

The other day I was at a book sale and snatched up some GREAT books for 50 cents each...a 1920's geography textbook, Hans Brinker, an original Freddy the Pig book, some original Landmark history books and a terrific reader: Pioneer Children of America.

 

Drooool!

[Stacia]

Stacia, I think I :001_wub: you! That is a fantastic list. I have only read a handful of the books on there and there are some serious classics. I think dh will have to up the number of birthday books if I am going to make it through all of them before I am 100.:D

 

You know, I love swimmers, but the hardcore ones are kind of nutcases. Your Man Who Swam the Amazon seems to fit the bill. On that same amazon page is the book by Lynn Cox, Swimming to Antarctica. She's the one that swam the Bering Strait. She also swam in the Nile with dog carcasses and was delighted to see that the freezing cold on one swim had so badly swollen her hands that she could use them like paddles with extra pull.:tongue_smilie: I think I enjoy reading about slightly crazy adventurers because it makes homeschooling seem so...reasonable and sane.

 

:lol: Those sound like great books. I enjoy the adventurers (a.k.a. nutcases ;)) because I find the viewpoint & daring so interesting to read. I will have to look up the books you mentioned (plus many of the ones on the list I posted). I, too, have many of them still to read!

[YourFidgetyFriend]

This might sound really odd, but I collect books with nice covers. These are generally not books I am interested in reading, although I will read anything if I'm bored enough. I love the look of ornate leather bound books and some velvet books. Nice illustrations sway me as well.

 

I would love to make some handbound books which might not exactly be "collecting," but would be a cool bookshelf add nonetheless.

[MorganClassicalPrep]

 

My entire personal library is made up of the books I collect! We live in a small apartment, and I can only afford space for the "critical" books. :D

 

Foreign language books (children's, adult, fiction, nonfiction, dictionaries, etc.) in French, Spanish, and Portuguese. I can't really read most of them (yet... :D) but can get through a children's book in all three languages, and YA-type books in French. :lol:

 

Books about South America - particularly non-fiction and important fictional works.

 

Any books about Brazil/written by Brazilian authors. (Yes, this is a separate category. The South American books I try to limit to those which may come in use throughout school - not so picky about Brazilian books.)

 

GLBT nonfiction/important literature.

 

The "Great Books"... all the classics that I'd like DD to read as she grows up.

 

Books on 19th and 20th century wars, especially WWII.

 

Books on writing. (Think "On Writing Well", "The Elements of Style", etc.)

 

and for lighter-reading, I also have all of Patricia Cornwell's books, the Harry Potter collection, and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series (of course those books, along with many, many more, are in storage... :glare:)

 

 

 

[Audrey]

I collect Faulkner. I have a few fine first editions, but most are specialist printings. I also collect copies of Zola's Germinal. I have 11 at the moment, not including the first paperback I ever owned of it, which I bought for the most perfect uni class I ever had. All the rest are hardback, most are in the original French.

[Diana B]

I don't have much collection of my own going at the moment. Unless you count my cookbooks!?!

 

My husband on the other hand....

 

All things Tolkein. (Or Tolkein related - he's super psyched because he found the Jerusalem Bible, a Bible that Tokein edited one of the books of) You should have seen the list he asked me to put on my Paperback Swap wish list!

 

We also have a large Bible / Bible Study collection. Along with that are many books related to Hebrew studies and Bible Canonization (my husband's other hobbies).

 

Together we want to collect all of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time books in hardback. Not a hard thing to find, but requires extra $ we just don't have at the moment.

 

I am working on building up my son's bookshelves with top-notch children's literature. Both picture books and chapter books. Not necessarily anything specific, but I want to make sure he stays surrounded by good books. We also plan on having more kids and I don't want those future kids growing up thinking all books come on an e-Reader! (My DS gets confused when the phone is attached to the wall... :lol:)

[Rosie_0801]

I inherited my grandmother's collection of craft books and magazines; and consider it my familial duty to add to it. :D

 

I also like to complete sets of series I enjoyed as a kid. I'm not sure what I'll do if my kids don't turn out to be readers.

 

When my kids begin foreign language studies, I'll have to start collecting books in those languages because I'm not going to find them in my local library.

 

:)

Rosie