My Library

 

Spending time at home during this period of self quarantine, masks and social distancing, I have been doing a lot of reading. In fact rather than doing the jobs that need done around the house, I tend to find myself getting lost in other worlds, the various worlds inside my books.

                I have been doing a lot of reading on my Kindle. This is mostly because of the ease of getting new books. Unfortunately, the Kindle does not fulfill all of my personal reading requirements. I have a need, a desire, a craving for books that are printed on paper. Hard backs with nice covers or paperbacks with the pages bent from previous readings. I was just thinking yesterday as I read my Kindle, that I never lost my place in a printed book by accidentally swiping my finger across the page! In these trying times, Kindles can easily get on my nerves!

                Call me old fashioned, or afraid of technology, for that matter, call me anything you want. I know what I am. I am a bibliophile! I love books. I love the feel, the smell and the heft of a book.  To be able to page through it and stop at spots that interest me is important, especially when looking to buy a book! I like that I can see how far I’ve progressed by the location of my book mark. I don’t need to rely on a sliding bar or a percentage listed at the bottom of the page.

                Because of this love, I have a nice collection of books that I enjoyed reading. Being a firm believer of libraries, I make use of their marvelous collections and when I find a really good book, I’ll look to buy myself a copy. I pick up a lot of books at estate and garage sales. Bookstores also add a lot of books to my collection.

                The vast majority of my collection are pre-owned editions. They far outnumber my newly purchased books. Needless to say, there are a lot of books in my home. Some of them have been with me for over 6 decades. There are a lot of them that are older than I am, having been printed a half century or more before I arrived on this planet.

                A friend and I were discussing the order we keep our books in. He was thinking about making a list of all his books.  I don’t have a list but I can usually find a book I need within a minute or two. They are ordered in a semi-organized way.

                Let me take you on a brief tour of what I call my Personal Library. Like most libraries there is an assortment of both fiction and non-fiction. I believe the non-fiction slightly outnumbers the fiction in the collection. There is also more than one room in my library, the books are distributed around the house.

                We’ll take a look at what I like to call the reading room. There is a large table sitting in front of two windows giving me a view of the woods behind the house. They also provide light for reading during the daylight hours. The table is large enough to hold my laptop or typewriter and still have lots of space for reference materials.  The table also comes in handy when I am matting or framing pictures. Every library needs a big table.

                Sitting at the table, to the left are shelves filled with books on Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania. The subjects are varied, from early iron furnaces, canals, railroads, atlas’s, travelogues to architecture and sculptures.  Beside this set of shelves is one filled with reference books. Dictionaries, (I love dictionaries!) Thesaurus’s, books on quotations, birds, word origins and other subjects that might help me properly state something or to help me understand things.

                Unlike most of the books in the collection, I can honestly say that none of the books on this shelf has been read through, cover to cover. Almost all of them have been used, many of them numerous times!

                On the other side of the room is a set of shelves holding books about writing. Below them are books on Machining, both old and new. I have books about machinery powered by belts up to modern manufacturing procedures. Below that is a shelf filled with assorted papers I wrote and photos I took. The majority of these will never be seen by anyone but me. (That and the person who cleans it all up after I pass on to the great library in the sky) Looking at these piles I think that one of the sad things about computers is that the things I write now, are hardly ever printed. It is all saved on a hard drive and memory sticks, susceptible to being wiped out or lost at any time.

                Below this shelf are a couple boxes of photographs waiting to be framed.  Beside them are an assortment of old school books and instruction manuals. From steam locomotive upkeep to geography and mathematics, they are old and interesting to page through. I love to see how things used to be and how some things never change!

                Beside this shelf is a smaller one containing mostly poetry.  These shelves I’m happy to say, are all in alphabetical order by authors name.  I can’t say that about any of the others!

                Behind me is another shelf which has on top of it, one of my “To read” piles. The height of the pile varies but recently it has been dropping since no new books are coming in. Whenever I finish a book from one of these piles, it gets put on a proper shelf or in a box for donation to a library for their book sales.

                The top shelf has books on architecture and archeology with a few books on exploring tossed in. Below them are books on maps and books that have maps in them. ( Treasure Island for example ) There are also a collection of atlas’s covering the earth, space and even the human body. Some writing materials for letters and cards populate the shelf below along with some overflow books. Below them are some oversized books.

               This is just one room. Books on books, travel, astronomy, religion, camping, hiking, cooking and fiction are spread out though other rooms.  There is a shelf of signed books and a collection of my first blog. (The only printed copy! Oh, this will be worth a fortune some day!  HA)

                The room I described to you is just a part of my library. As you can see, I live in my library! My love of books could be considered by some as an excess, but as any bibliophile knows, there can never be too many!

                I do periodically clean out the collection, passing the unwanted or unneeded volumes on to a library for them to re-sell during their book sales. I am anxiously waiting for the re-opening of the libraries and bookstores. I am not a big fan of on-line book shopping, too much of my buying experience involves touch and browsing. The act of browsing is exciting, I never know what might show up. I never know when that special book will jump out into my hands!

                We just went from Red to Yellow conditions here in Alleghany County. I’ve got my fingers crossed that some of the bookstores will be re-opening. I have a strong desire to acquire some new books!

                In the meanwhile, I have recently started a new book. It is a hardback with a nice cover, titled "The Years Best Fantasy and Horror". (from 1995) Hopefully this should keep me occupied for a couple days.

                Oh yeah, I almost forget about those chores that need done…



Biblio-Trip

Biblio-Trip

August 2018

                I often wonder about this disease I have. It is an almost uncontrollable desire for books. It is a passion. It is a habit that I haven’t been able to break. It is an addiction. I just need my reading material.

                Books about Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania. Books dealing with machinery and machining. Maps, atlases, astronomy, writing and poetry to name just a few of my interests. Then there are the fiction books…

                I am always on the lookout for another book to add to my collection. Older books, ones signed by their authors, there are so many subjects that interest me! Lately I have been going to estate sales which expose me to shelves full of books. Usually they are “best sellers”, worn children’s books and lots of religious material. But…every so often I find a book that strikes a chord.

               Book sellers get to these sales early and have pillaged the shelves before I get there. They aren’t collectors, these books will be on-line the next day. This makes it even more fun when I find a book I want!

                The fun of the hunt along with the low prices are a couple of the things which drive me. There are so many books I’ve heard about, read the reviews on but just haven’t gotten to read yet. Finding one of these can be breath taking! Well, kind of.



                Last Saturday, Ann Marie and I took a road trip to the outskirts of Carlisle, PA. to visit Canaday’s Book Barn.  We have visited it a few times before. Unfortunately, it will soon be closing. We were both extremely sad to hear about its approaching demise. The store is truly unique, it is located inside a barn. We had to visit it one more time before it’s gone forever, plus, they were having a big sale!

                You would never know what is inside if you didn’t read the sign beside the door. The barn is typical of the farm buildings in the eastern sections of Pennsylvania. Constructed of yellow painted wood and stone, it is topped with a red metal roof making it a very picturesque building. The front, facing the main road, gives no hint to its purpose except for a small sandwich board sitting in the yard. In the back is a gravel parking lot and the entrance.

             The door is in an alcove in the center of the building. Walking inside, you are greeted with shelves. In front of you, an isleway continues into the distance. On the right a beautiful glass covered set of shelves holds books on display along with artwork and maps. To the left are more shelves, all filled with books. All are nice and clean, no dust, no cobwebs. A balcony sits off to the right, the stairs are rough but varnished and polished, like the rest of the woodwork in the building. Under the balcony is an open office and the checkout counter. More shelves share this low, dim area along with a couch. The wooden beams give it a comfortable look, similar to a den. There are a couple sets of thin drawers beside the shelves populating this area. In them are more maps and hand colored drawings and illustrations. Some are already matted, ready to be framed and hung on your walls.

                At one time, the shelves in this room were decorated with world globes and bookends and the rear wall was covered with framed pictures. These have since gone on to new homes. For the most part, the shelves are all fine quality, looking as if they once graced a prestigious library. Nicer books are kept behind glass, the rest sit on shelf after shelf.

                Entering the store for the first time can be a bit overwhelming. You have no idea which way to turn, where to look first. It is best to just slowly walk around and familiarize yourself. Let your fingers run along the shelves, read the titles, absorb the ambiance, smell the old book smell. Enjoy yourself, soak in the wonder of all these books. After you have walked around a bit, once you have an idea of where things are located, go back and re-find the treasures you saw as you were orientating yourself.

                Ted, the owner is a very personable man. If he isn’t overwhelmed with customers, he is happy to talk books or local history. Since he is selling his stock at 70% off, his customers have increased. Too bad they didn’t frequent the store before he decided to close. Even though Ted was busy, we still had a nice discussion with him. Oh, just thinking about this store closing makes me sad, this delightful store should be visited by every bibliophile!

                Wandering around the store, I picked up a few books I had seen on previous visits. Yes, I brought them home with me this time. I bought a few autographed books, some old machining manuals, a couple travelogues and a random assortment of other books which caught my eye.

                   I had three topographical maps from the early 1900’s in my selections but when I saw my final total, I reluctantly put them back. Naturally, not long after we left, I started wishing that I would’ve bought them. “Oh, when will I ever learn? Get when the getting is good!” 

                The two of us returned with a nice collection of booty and we agreed that the trip was both fun and successful. There is nothing like a road trip to a bookstore!

                I originally thought that we would be gone for only seven or eight hours but the sun was setting behind the hills of Etna as we rolled back into town. I rarely take a direct route to any place we are going to. Our journeys usually involve “short” side trips, refreshment breaks and photo stops. On this trip, we also ended up spending a couple hours inside the bookstore.

                It was about 11 hours and 380 miles after I left home that I pulled up in front of my house. I was excited about looking through my new purchases and more than ready to collapse into my bed!

                Yes, my addiction had gotten the best of me once again. I bought too many books, but you know what? Other than the fact that I left the topo maps behind, I really don’t regret it at all!

(I went back a couple weeks later with a couple friends and purchased the maps among other things!)

 

                                Bibliophile-         n.            a lover of books

                                                                                A book collector

                                `Biblio-trip           v.            a journey or voyage to aquire books