Books are for Reading, Not Collecting...

On 26 Jun 2003 12:20:09 -0700, (hollowayd) wrote:

"Francis A. Miniter" wrote in message ...
Comments interleaved.

That Book Nerd wrote:

Why would someone want to collect books?


They provide excellent insulation. A few walls lined with books are
better than that pink fibreglass stuff backed with paper and much more
attractive.

Speaking of which some of them look pretty nice too. Their covers or
'outsides' to use a technical term can be different colors and even
different materials to make for an interesting appearance when one
fills a shelf with them.

A large collection of books confuses visitors who always look for the
'on' switch or if more sophisticated ask if you have actually read any
or all of them. They make superb hiding places for small printed
pieces of paper, incriminating photographs, and very short slender
children. In a pinch they boil up into a superb bouillabaisse and the
larger volumes do make excellent snowshoes. Mark Twain recognized the
importance of book collecting when he said "A slim book is a perfect
shim for a table with one short leg, an old leatherbound book makes a
good strop for sharpenning a straight razor, and a large heavy bible
with metal clasps is perfect for heaving at a noisy cat!"


As you can see the case for book collecting has been made. Besides
those beanie babies look soooo darling snuggled up on top of my first
edition Maltese Falcon!

David
You forgot to mention that they can also be quite delicious,
especially barbequed-I have a copy oyconnexio literalis psalmorum
(1596), which I am marinading ready for supper.