- Ratty and tatty paperbacks (with one good one for contrast)
As I developed my book collection, I bought books however I could. I was young, I didn’t have much money and books weren’t always in print anyway (the latter still being true of course). Often, I would hear about a new author from a friend, try one of their books and love it, and then buy as many books by that author as I could as quickly as I could. So I tended to have lots of second hand books, bought all at once and of less that impressive quality (as the photo shows).
Because I collected so many books so fast, I never actually read all of them. I’d read some, then other things would come along and tempt me away. So while I have lots of books by the authors in question, many of them remain unread.
I have this probably unrealistic hope that I can slowly work my way through these authors and finally get their books read. Some of them (for example, Mary Stewart and Dorothy L. Sayers) have recently had their books reprinted in lovely, matching editions and with ebook editions at the same time. While I can’t afford to buy those pretty paper ones, they will be going in my dream library and are a good incentive to get reading. I hope to slowly manage to buy the ebooks one at a time as I read and add the new editions to my real library that way. (And should I win Lotto – unlikely as I don’t buy tickets! – I’ll buy the nice paper editions too and try too keep them dry.)
Posted by orannia on 27th June, 2011 at 8:10 pm
Ah to have a whole series…that matches in size and cover. *OCD dream*
Posted by rocalisa on 28th June, 2011 at 6:59 am
I know, isn’t it just. That’s why this is going to be a dream library. Everything on my computer for my Kindle and matching editions on the shelves. (And no damp.)
Posted by Dream Library, Mary Stewart « Too Many Books on 28th June, 2011 at 7:24 am
[...] you can see in the photo on the introduction to my dream library page, I have some very ratty copies of some of Mary Stewart’s “gothic” novels. [...]
Posted by Nicki on 28th June, 2011 at 8:57 pm
My gran had a complete set of Georgette Heyer in the same edition as your Reluctant Widow. Oh to have beautiful matching sets of all my books
Posted by rocalisa on 28th June, 2011 at 9:43 pm
It’d be a lovely dream, wouldn’t it, to have all those pretty matching books. Since I’ll never have it in real life, this is my chance to pretend and put up pictures of pretty covers at the same time. I have just discovered I’m going to need TWO sets of Georgette Heyer for my dream library as the Arrow editions (UK) and the Sourcebooks editions (US) have different buy equally lovely cover art. At least my budget gets to be a dream one as well.
Posted by Happy Heyer Shopping « Too Many Books on 18th August, 2011 at 5:15 pm
[...] guess I’ll be adding an Author Read page for Heyer now, as I do want to (again, slowly) read my way through her books. They have been [...]
Posted by It’s a funny old world (aka rereading Dorothy L Sayers) « Too Many Books on 11th November, 2012 at 9:38 pm
[...] few pages in right now, I plan to enjoy myself. For a while, I’ve wanted to add Sayers to my Author Reads and also the Dream Library, as the relatively new black and while covers for the series are [...]