# What books do you display?



## universitystripe (Jul 13, 2013)

What books do you choose to display on your most public shelves at home? You might even take a photo, if you are so inclined.

:icon_study:


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## smmrfld (May 22, 2007)

Hunter S. Thompson's _Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas._


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

Those that I've read.


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## Dhaller (Jan 20, 2008)

I don't really have *public* shelves at home.

I have a dedicated library at home, which is where all the books live; it's set up as a reading room as well, and has South-facing windows with a terrific view and good light (my house is on a steep hill, which drops off sharply to the South, so the windows overlook the treeline). Books, which I love, also happen to be terrible perpetrators of dust and allergy, so I have glass doors over all the shelves, and we have pretty strict household rules about putting books back - with almost 5000 books, this is important!

Of course, there's usually a book or two lying around, so it's whatever's being read at the moment (for me, Hiroshi Yuki's "Math Girls", Joe Abercrombie's "Half a King", and McCarthy's "Suttree" (second reading); my wife has a ton of Excel books lying around which I need to get on her about.)

I've never been a fan of coffee table books, however - it's just a lot of clutter, which I detest.

Now, it's a holiday weekend, and my daughter (2) has transported an immense pile of *her* books to the living room - they are spread all over the floor - so there's *that*. I think "The Poky Little Puppy" is in there, among others!

(By the way, the industry lingo for a "displayed book" is a "face out"...)

DH


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## universitystripe (Jul 13, 2013)

That sounds lovely, Dhaller. An impressive collection, it sounds like.

I suppose what I meant by "public" were books on display where you might entertain guests. I have several scholarly books which I adore from my collegiate studies, but most books from Harvard University Press and the like are published only in paperback, it seems. Probably because such books have a very limited market.

I just purchased my first home, and thereby my first real furniture. My living room will now have an elegant white entertainment center with space for many books and I began thinking that I should begin curating for this space. 

I thought such books would tell a lot about a man, so I was curious of the volumes the gentlemen here put on such a pedestal.


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## smmrfld (May 22, 2007)

universitystripe said:


> I began thinking that I should begin curating for this space.


Oy. This sounds like Ron Burgundy's apartment.


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## universitystripe (Jul 13, 2013)

smmrfld said:


> Oy. This sounds like Ron Burgundy's apartment.


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## Pentheos (Jun 30, 2008)

I used to like the verb "curate" when used to describe collecting. Now I detest it...

Quick mental computation suggests I have at least 180 linear feet of books in my apartment.


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## universitystripe (Jul 13, 2013)

Pentheos said:


> I used to like the verb "curate" when used to describe collecting. Now I detest it...


In my mind, curating is clearly distinct from collecting.

I would much rather someone curate a shelf of their favorite books and items than simply go by their local book sale and purchase the oldest Britannica's they find and shove them in their living room, never to be read.

It is my understanding that there are actually websites that will deliver to you handsome old bound copies of books on a subject you enjoy for several hundred dollars by the linear foot.


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## Pentheos (Jun 30, 2008)

This thread reminds me of a quote from _Twilight of the Idols_:

"The perfect woman indulges in literature just as she indulges in a small sin: as an experiment, in passing, looking around to see if anybody notices it - and to make sure that somebody does."


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## Gurdon (Feb 7, 2005)

*Books I care about and have read*

I haven't counted our books, but we've filled several bookshelves in our newly acquired house, and we had several bookshelves custom made.

As to what I have on the shelves, it is books I care about, that is books that have been important to me, many dating from undergraduate years, but also many from before. My interests are mainly art, cultural geography, politics, and the like, and trains and Land Rovers, and Lotus Sevens. My wife's half of the shelf space is predominantly occupied by serious fiction, classics of English and American literature.

On the shelves in my workroom are books of special interest, several by professors whom I admired (Erle Loran's "Compositions of Cezanne," Clarence Glacken's "Traces on the Rhodian Shore"), many from childhood and young adulthood ("Kim," "Two Years Before the Mast"), academic journals, and trains, specifically, Swiss railroads, the Southern Pacific narrow gauge line that ran along the Owens Valley until 1960, and Santa Fe passenger trains. This is where I keep books on topice in which I'm currently interested. There are several on Walter Benjamin, a number on recent German art criticism (in translation, I don't read German), and several on post-war (WW II) American art history and criticism.

I think about people looking to see what we're reading, or have read. I try to have books readily visible that I hope will be interesting to visitors. I try to have the books people are likely to see reflect my interests and preferences.

Regards,
Gurdon


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

As member SG 67 reported, "I generally display the books that I've read!" While the adult children and grand children seem to be more attracted to their electronic devices, of various ilks, the wife and I are more inclined to pick up a book and read, rather that stare at some animated screen, regardless of purpose, and we can never seem to find the will to discard a book that we have read. Consequently we have managed to fill to overflowing, seven bookcases dispersed throughout the house, with additional (yet to be read ) books stacked around a reading table and already read books stacked on top of the hutch that caps my old roll top desk. I honestly don't know if the number totals anywhere the 5000+ volumes reported by member Dhaller, but it seems we have accumulated a sh*tload of books over the years! LOL.


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## Hitch (Apr 25, 2012)

I never really thought of it but our books are either in the office or the bed stand.


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## MaxBuck (Apr 4, 2013)

Increasingly, my books are in The Cloud (mostly Amazon Kindle). Much more convenient to tote along on vacation.

As for the technical books required for my profession, those are now almost exclusively on my hard drive in pdf form. All this may be somewhat sad news to traditionalists, but it sure is more convenient.


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## Balfour (Mar 23, 2012)

Books should be used, not 'displayed'.

I have a lot of sympathy with what MaxBuck says about utilising modern technology. However, for reference books (rather than novels read in a linear fashion) I do find that paper media remains optimal.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

universitystripe said:


> What books do you choose to display on your most public shelves at home? You might even take a photo, if you are so inclined.
> 
> :icon_study:


I have a whole room in use as library at home, so antics like this are not something I even think about. That said, the public doesn't have access to my library or my home. And all my books are in plain view anyway. I'm not really sure I understand the question. Do you mean, if one has a special shelf for, for example, valuable first editions with the cover rather than the spine facing outwards?


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

A curious idea, to display books. I have a bookcase and open book shelves in my lounge, a bookcase on my landing, book shelves in all of the bedrooms, there are books under all of the beds, on in and under our bedside tables, and loads of my specialist History stuff in my loft (along with all of my nautical publications, books of navigation, seamanship etc). There are also a couple of hundred on shelves at my place of work, where my wife prefers them to be! I don't think that any of them could be described as being displayed.


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## Monocle (Oct 24, 2012)

Most everything I own book-wise has to do with history. I don't read all of them. But I do consult them often for context when I see, read or hear something that piques my interest in regard to the subject. I've started a modest science library for the kids.


Sent from the Underground.


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## Dhaller (Jan 20, 2008)

Well, on the issue of entertaining guests:

My brother, an avid reader of fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres, accumulated a good couple of wallsfull (new word!) of books, mostly mass market paperbacks (the common format for genre fiction). This has all wound up in the guest house on our dad's farm, and guests who stay there have access to certainly the most impressive collection of such fiction in Cartersville, Georgia!

I briefly toyed with the idea of keeping some books in the guest room at my house, and for awhile I did have there an Atlanta guidebook in Japanese (I get a lot of Japanese guests since I live in Japan part of the year), simply as a courtesy; now, of course, I just provide guest access to my wifi, since everyone travels with tablets these days.

My dream library (just to continue veering off-topic) is contingent on my acquiring a farm someday: a refurbished and temperature-controlled silo, with shelves helically ascending the interior, winding stair adjacent, and a reading room atop it all, comfortably chaired and with views and light. My man cave! (albeit hardly a cave). I suppose a lighthouse could suffice, as well, or an abandoned missile silo (entirely more cavelike...)


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## Dhaller (Jan 20, 2008)

Monocle said:


> Most everything I own book-wise has to do with history. I don't read all of them. But I do consult them often for context when I see, read or hear something that piques my interest in regard to the subject. I've started a modest science library for the kids.
> 
> Sent from the Underground.


There is no better house for children than one in which books can be stumbled upon and discovered.

I grew up in a family of readers, and books were strewn and piled and stuffed in every imaginable place. Topics varied widely, as mom was an historian/political scientist and dad was a painter/pianist/architect/mathematician/general polymath, and both were voracious readers of fiction as well. We had encyclopedias, art books, books on paleontology - just everything - and I was constantly immersed in the worlds they conjured. My parents were blissfully permissive (when I happened across Erica Jong's "Fear of Flying" in 7th grade, and read it, they greeted the discovery with raised eyebrows, and my father commented "well, he doesn't seem damaged"), so I had full run of the stacks.

I think the great tragedy of our digital age is the increasing unlikelyhood of "stumbling" upon books, as people buy fewer physical books and move to the convenience of tablets and "the cloud".

By all means, mine your house mercilessly with books! Science, art, history, things with pictures, things with crazy symbols (math books fascinated me as a small child, simply for their seeming arcana), all wonderful stumbleupons for children.


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

+1 Dhaller, my hearty agreement. That which normally divides the well rounded intellect from the banal herd is access to paper books from infancy.

I do not display my own ludicrously eclectic library but am most proud of my full collection of every book published which Phil Dick authored, many of them the original dimestore American paperback editions. This collection was accrued long before the internet was extant and involved cultivating sympathetic contacts in the second hand book realm, it represents a genuine commitment and the heady scent of those mildewed pages is pure bliss.


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## MaxBuck (Apr 4, 2013)

Dhaller said:


> I think the great tragedy of our digital age is the increasing unlikelyhood of "stumbling" upon books, as people buy fewer physical books and move to the convenience of tablets and "the cloud".


We still have public libraries in our neck of the woods, so I'm pretty unconcerned with this problem. Certainly I'd regard your characterization of digital media as a "tragedy" as hyperbole. It offers a great many advantages to parents who wish to avail themselves of the resources for their own kids.


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

^ I have to agree. I still prefer the feel of a book and there's something about turning a page, but digital media is definitely convenient and allow accessibility to those who may not otherwise have access to certain books or reference materials. 

I'm sure the Catholic Church felt it was a tragedy when the printing press was invented. Revolutionary ideas almost always solicit some measure of angst and trepidation but as a culture we're able to absorb them quite well and turn it to our advantage.


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## Dhaller (Jan 20, 2008)

Well, I've taught in universities since the mid-80s, and I've observed a sharp, comprehensive drop in student ability - essentially full-spectrum (critical reading ability, writing ability, problem-solving ability, and vocabulary) - especially in the last 5 years; it'm most pronounced among students born in the 90s, who've grown up with entirely curated digital media. It's a catastrophe.

Cheating is now so endemic that it can't even be harshly punished - you'd lose all the students. When I began, in the mid-80s, being caught cheating was generally grounds for at least academic suspension, and often expulsion; it was a career-destroying move. Now, it's commonplace, in large measure because its so easily facilitated in a connected environment.

I do think digital media have terrific applications (obviously) - Khan Academy, for example, stands out as a superb example of curated digital media. But, let's face it, far more teenage bandwidth is devoted to streaming Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda" (granted, a fine remake of "Baby Got Back") than any amount of Khan Academy.

I stand by my use of the word "tragedy"!


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

Displaying books is an important way of communicating identity and priorities. First, it communicates that books matter. I want that for my children. Otherwise the TV might be mistaken for the centerpiece of our living room apartment. And I also endorse the importance of enabling kids to discover things by rummaging through the books. But then it's also a way to emphasize priorities with respect to said books. In my home religious texts take place of pride; works of religious philosophy, second. General philosophy and literature, third.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

tocqueville said:


> Displaying books is an important way of communicating identity and priorities.


As opposed to a 60 inch TV in the family room??

Exactly.


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## Barnavelt (Jul 31, 2012)

Our family room has a wall of built-ins, and my wife and I have filled all the shelves with our books (mainly mine as I am the hord.. um, collector). I know paperbacks are considered by many to be a sort of disposable item that is lesser than a hardcover, but I have a heck of a lot of paperbacks on those shelves. I don't really feel like I am "displaying" my books, but rather just keeping them easily within reach because I pick them up and browse on a regular basis. Top shelves are literature leaning heavily on Evelyn Waugh, Cormac McCarthy, and Nabokov. Then there are shelves for regional books about Maryland, cookbooks, history, nature field guides, and all my graphic novels / trade paperback versions of comic books. 

The TV is front and center in the same room but my wife and I often don't turn it on, especially once the kids are in bed. It might sound weird but I will sometimes sit on the couch in complete silence and just stare at the bindings of my books, recalling fragments of this or that piece of prose, a certain illustration, or a beloved character. I have literally sat and done this for an hour or more after a long day at work.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^Great post and I must tell you, your affection for Cormac McCarthy captures my interest. Having read his No Country For Old Men and The Road and having seen the movies made from each of these intriguing tales and been absolutely fascinated by both, I must ask, are there other of his works you would recommend?


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## Barnavelt (Jul 31, 2012)

eagle2250 said:


> ^^Great post and I must tell you, your affection for Cormac McCarthy captures my interest. Having read his No Country For Old Men and The Road and having seen the movies made from each of these intriguing tales and been absolutely fascinated by both, I must ask, are there other of his works you would recommend?


Hi Eagle, It's nice to be back on the fora again and to hear from you! That's a tough question, and one that I have discussed with my Mother, who loved "No Country" but abhorred "The Road" as well as "All the Pretty Horses", which is book one of a trilogy I haven't read as of yet. I read that McCarthy was emulating Elmore Leonard when he wrote "No Country", and it is quite a bit more punched up and cinematic in flavor compared with some of his other books. I can highly recommend "Blood Meridian", which is generally considered his masterpiece. It's the most intense historical Western, and one of the most absorbing in general, books I've ever read. "Suttree" is one of his earlier novels I also really liked, and it has more of a stream of consciousness vibe to it and seems more influenced by Faulkner, if you like that sort of thing. "Outer Dark" and "Child of God" I have read only once apiece. They also are shorter earlier works, and although the writing is impressive, some of the imagery is truly disturbing and I just haven't felt like re-visiting them (and I didn't recommend them to my Mom either!). Don't get me wrong; "Blood Meridian" is at times quite gruesome as well, but in my opinion it is such a great book I wouldn't want to change a single word. I would recommend without reservation "Blood Meridian" as your next read, and "Suttree" after that.

I also would love to hear what you think about either one if you choose to read them!


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

Great thread, I've enjoyed reading through the posts.

Books are my "other" hobby away from clothes (as can seen by my too-many silly posts on the Trad and Fashion Forums). As Dhaller and Shaver pointed out, access to books early is wonderful (my access was okay) and, maybe, the digital world will diminish that - although, one could see how it would increase it as the price comes down (since the marginal cost of "manufacturing" a digital book is zero) and one can "carry" thousands of books on one small devise. 

My guess is the reading of books in the digital world will work out fine even though, personally, like SG 67, I love the tactile aspect of books, especial old books: the look, the feel, the smell, the serendipitous history (as when you find an interesting or touching inscription or old letter tucked into one you bought at a used book store) - I love it all.

I collect old books, not as a professional collector, as I collect those I want to read and can afford (which is rarely first editions or other books professional collectors care about). My girlfriend and I - who share this hobby - can get excited about finding a 1930s (third edition - hence, no real value) of "The House of Mirth" (one of my personal favorites) if it has an interesting binding or inscription or something. It might be $5, but we'll be stupidly excited.

We have, about 2000 books now and - and this ties us back to the original question of the thread - recently bought a pre-war apartment in NYC that needs much work and have been discussing with the architect (in NYC, you need to hire an architect to put in a lightbulb) how we can get enough bookshelves in. He talked to us a bit and then said - "for you guys, books will be your 'design theme'" (as a kid from New Jersey, I had no idea there was such a thing as a "design theme," but architect speak aside, what he meant was you can build a bunch of book shelves in each room and it will be a theme throughout the apartment. 

He showed us pictures of apartments done this way and - to our eyes - they look great. I'm not talking about a gorgeous Downton Abbey style library - which is way out of our budget - just a lot of painted wood bookshelves though out. It has a ever-so-slightly disheveled, lived-in look and reduces the need for other decorative items (of which we don't have any nor would know what we'd want for them anyway). 

Hence, books will be the "theme" of our apartment and we plan to display all or as many of them as we can. We will, thus, be displaying books we've read or want to read because that is all we own. A few have some value, but most are there just because we've read them or want to read them and, in many of the older ones, we found something interesting about the edition.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^Welcome back Barnavelt and it is good to see you back posting again...I always enjoy reading your posts. Thanks also for the book recommendations. I will begin a quest to obtain copies of Blood Meridian, followed by Suttree. As you described in your earlier post(s) with multiple TV screens to be found throughout the house, the wife and I are far more inclined to pick up a book and read, than to turn on a TV and I'm always looking for the next good read. However, I am slightly embarrassed to admit to being a bit of a FOX News junkie! 

Thanks again for the recommendations.


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## Barnavelt (Jul 31, 2012)

Eagle, I hope you enjoy the books. It would be great to hear your thoughts afterwards! Fading Fast; Congrats on the new apartment! I understand that it can be quite an accomplishment to secure a good apartment in NYC so kudos. The design you describe sounds great. I bet I am not the only one on here who would love to live / hang out in a "library" type atmosphere like that. I'd love to see some pics of the final product.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

Barnavelt said:


> Eagle, I hope you enjoy the books. It would be great to hear your thoughts afterwards! Fading Fast; Congrats on the new apartment! I understand that it can be quite an accomplishment to secure a good apartment in NYC so kudos. The design you describe sounds great. I bet I am not the only one on here who would love to live / hang out in a "library" type atmosphere like that. I'd love to see some pics of the final product.


Thank you. I can honestly, sincerely, without exaggeration say that finding and buying an apartment in NYC was one of the three hardest things I've ever done in my life. (The specific challenges of NYC real estate do seem unique based on my understanding of purchasing real estate elsewhere.)

We are many months away, but hopefully as some point this will all happen and I will have pictures to share. (Insert emoticon with fingers crossed here.)


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## Dhaller (Jan 20, 2008)

eagle2250 said:


> ^^Welcome back Barnavelt and it is good to see you back posting again...I always enjoy reading your posts. Thanks also for the book recommendations. I will begin a quest to obtain copies of Blood Meridian, followed by Suttree. As you described in your earlier post(s) with multiple TV screens to be found throughout the house, the wife and I are far more inclined to pick up a book and read, than to turn on a TV and I'm always looking for the next good read. However, I am slightly embarrassed to admit to being a bit of a FOX News junkie!
> 
> Thanks again for the recommendations.


Not that I need to "+1" it, but "Blood Meridian" is brilliant - one of the great American novels. McCarthy is, in my view, the best current American prose stylist, and his style is so rich and dense it puts some people off, but if you read as much for writing as for story, you'll appreciate it.

The novel also features one of the great villains of literature, though I won't spoil anything.

Critics of McCarthy tend to divide his work into Appalachian and Texan periods, regarding the Appalachian works (like Child of God, Outer Dark, and the very amusing Suttree) as his stronger works. Blood Meridian is a strong exception to this!

On the topic of great novels - and assuming readers of McCarthy are appreciative of such - I'll also recommend Ken Kesey's "Sometimes a Great Notion", which is a celebration of that peculiar species of "orneriness" which characterizes the American spirit.

DH


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## Barnavelt (Jul 31, 2012)

Dhaller said:


> Not that I need to "+1" it, but "Blood Meridian" is brilliant - one of the great American novels. McCarthy is, in my view, the best current American prose stylist, and his style is so rich and dense it puts some people off, but if you read as much for writing as for story, you'll appreciate it.
> 
> The novel also features one of the great villains of literature, though I won't spoil anything.
> 
> ...


"A great villain of literature" no doubt about it. McCarthy uses genius to construct this particular villain, intimating that the villain in question could wreak havoc more or less anywhere and at any time in history. Borrowing from another thread, "Sympathy for the Devil" by the Rolling Stones comes to mind.


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## Pirendeus (Jul 17, 2009)

Personally, I find the notion of 'displaying' books to be sacrilegious. Imo, not only is it akin to leaving a name brand label exposed to show others that you're special, I also regard it as a harsh invasion of privacy. Books have always been deeply personal to me, and my library is my retreat from the world. I'll allow acquaintances into my living room, but only kindred spirits are allowed to enter my heaven. 
Sure, one may argue that openly displaying books allows guests to understand their host's interests and find common ground, but, for me, books are simply a hidden part of my soul that I only reluctantly give away.


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## universitystripe (Jul 13, 2013)

I'm glad I started this thread. While not everyone seems to put the thought into their collection that I do into mine, there have been some great responses.

I have limited space in my home for books, so I suppose I have to be strict about what stays on the shelf. I tend to place books which may have a wider audience in the living area while I place my scholarly books in my bedroom or office. 

I will often also be particular about the binding. I have somewhat of an aversion to paperbacks, so I seek out hard copies of anything of lasting importance. 

Books I will never read again are checked out from the public library. Those that are cut from my collection each year go into the library book sale.


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## Brio1 (May 13, 2010)

I display those books like the protagonist in Martin Amis' _The Rachel Papers _that would happen to make an impression upon the fairer sex, e.g. , _Story of O ; Emmanuelle; _ and those of the Marquis de Sade. :devil:


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