Yes I suffer from book hoarding too. I love knowledge. I love reading. I buy a lot of books. I own over 1,000 books and that number just keeps growing. I can’t stop myself from buying when I walk past a bookstore or even when I’m shopping online. It’s not just about collecting it’s about the excitement of discovering new books, ideas, stories, people and perspectivesm but sometimes I realize it’s getting a little out of hand. My shelves are overflowing and there are books I haven’t even touched yet.
So please, don’t romanticize book hoarding or spread that idea. Hoarding is a real disorder and excessive hoarding behavior isn’t a healthy habit even when it comes to books. Owning books is wonderful and loving to read is something to celebrate but there’s a difference between being a passionate bibliophile and slipping into bibliomania. My small studio condo is struggling because there’s literally no space left it’s packed with books. I’ve spent so much money on books I haven’t even read some I bought years ago at book fairs and yes I just got back from a book fair with 20 new books. Please send help. 😭
by Delicious_Maize9656
17 Comments
Didn’t read any of that. All I know is that the best book you can buy is always the next one.
Well, at least books don’t lose value over time. On the contrary you’ll probably get your money back plus more when you sell them in 20 years.
Do you ever donate books? I know where I am, the shelters are always asking for books for the residents.
That’s why I utilize my local library.
Yes. Compulsive acquisition is not charming, it’s a capitalistic, consumption-based issue. We give ourselves a lot of passes and permission to engage in that behavior not too differently from fast fashion, leading to (as you said) unread shelves, unappreciated work, while still acquiring more and more shit that only has meaning in the imaginary world where you read them. Ugh. I struggled with some of the same, and it’s seriously as hard to quit for me as it was to stop binge drinking.
Everything in moderation. Why dont you just build a house out of your books?
Consider donating some of the books. I donate most of my books to a foster house for teenagers and they love it.
If you’re seeing a negative effect on your life, that’s certainly a fair concern. If it’s obsessive, or financially ruinous, or degrading your quality of life by the clutter or crampedness, or things like that, I get it, that’s a habit to curb.
I know there can definitely be a delight in *purchasing* that has little to do with what comes after the purchase (and arrival, if ordered), and yeah, that’s not good.
But there’s nothing wrong with buying books you may not read until years down the line, if you have an interest in building a personal library. A library is a beautiful thing. I may be wrong, but I don’t think most people who buy large amounts of books are doing so in a way that is harmful. I always have a lot of respect for people when I see they have massive, well kept book collections (and they’re a delight at estate sales, such a window into people’s lives).
I think I understand this in a way. I have like 15 physical books and I felt bad about it.
I feel like I cannot be trusted in a book stores with money. So I went into less expensive way and bought audio through discounts. Still there is nothing wrong with loving books, just be careful about it I guess.
I think as long as it isn’t pathological, it’s fine to have a collection so long as you can manage it. But if it is helpful to people, I am a librarian, and not a collector in my personal life. My methodology (except with a very few books I keep because they are hard to get hold of otherwise) is
Buy book
Read book
Donate book to library or an interested party
Keeping and managing large numbers of anything is a challenge for me (ironic, I know), and too many books was weighing me down. Much better (for me) to be a supplier to others of good books.
From early experiences, i have learned to interpret lending a book to someone as tantamount to giving the book away, no strings attached.
This attitude, which I adopted many years ago, has greatly simplified my life and eliminated potential book-related friction between me and others.
If i go to a used book store I have to buy at least one book, because I feel bad for these people who clearly love books but also need to pay rent, eat, ect.
But yeah I definitely have a hoarding issue but every few years I break out of it and get rid of a ton of stuff. Right now I’m looking at getting another bookshelf because the one I’ve had for 20+ years is finally at max capacity. I’m looking at every thing that needs to go on it and I’m really struggling to find the things that I can get rid of. My other issue is that I’ll get really into one author or theme and buy like 20 of them and by book 2 I’ve already started looking at another set of books.
I’m collecting books (mostly thrifted) due to mass book bans and digital media being DRM’d. This collection is something that can actually be passed down generations. And they make great compost in a worst case scenario.
As a librarian, thank you for this PSA. Reminder to everyone: let your local library hoard the books, borrow them and buy your own copies of the books you absolutely love
The National Geographic is awesome. Navigating the maze in my aunt’s house created by the stacks of 50 years of back issues, not so much.
I feel like there’s a much greater conversation to be had about overconsumption in general, this should be a safe space to be frivolously share our excessive book collections and laugh at how absurd they are.
Please don’t tell us this and go donate some of your books. You have a problem youve addressed but instead of actually doing, you are telling strangers online.
“There are books I haven’t even touched yet.” Thats not some grand thing to say but an obvious one. And to be honest it is most books you havent even touched or opened