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Booked Solid: Some Readers' Cherished Collections Have Nowhere to Grow
The Washington Post ^ | March 23, 2006 | Annie Groer

Posted on 03/23/2006 11:53:14 AM PST by Physicist

Law librarian Rick Ramponi's collection of 3,000 regional cookbooks --including "Talk About Good" from the Lafayette, La., Junior League and "Shalom on the Range," which celebrates southwestern Jewish cuisine -- was manageable while he lived in a large house in Kalorama.

But when he moved to a one-bedroom Dupont Circle apartment with a partner who collects large art and architecture books, Ramponi had to exile those cherished culinary texts to a pair of rented storage units several blocks away.

Since 2002, he has spent more than $5,000 to keep them there, which "may be more than they are all worth," he concedes. "But there is a sentimental attachment and I associate them with places I've been, people I know."

Accountant Jennifer Kimball, who is studying for a master's degree in English, and policy analyst Matt Cail, who has a pair of master's degrees, call themselves "huge bibliophiles." Thus their chief requirement when condo shopping two years ago was enough wall space for shelves to hold their books. Already they have run out of space in their Alexandria flat. "Next year we will start looking for a house to buy that has room for children," she says. And books.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: bibliopath; bibliophile; gentlemadness; hobbyanddisease
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To: Red Badger

Kugel with rice and black beans? Gefilte Fish Tacos?


21 posted on 03/23/2006 12:07:10 PM PST by Hildy
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To: Red Badger

I prefer to keep the editions of books I've read. I don't have a great photographic memory but I do have general recall as to where I saw something and when the pages are laid out differently (or the edition goes from hardcover to paperback) it can be much harder to reference a quote or subject.


22 posted on 03/23/2006 12:07:55 PM PST by weegee ("Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but Democrats believe every day is April 15.")
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To: proxy_user
You should check out the record collectors.

It must be more daunting to have a huge number of records than a huge number of books. No matter how fast you read, you can in principle read faster, so even a rather large collection is within the potential reach of a human life, even if you read slowly for now.

Records take a well-defined amount time to listen to properly; once they add up to more than the longest human life span, you know you'll insult at least some of your collection by never once listening to them.

23 posted on 03/23/2006 12:08:14 PM PST by Physicist
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To: Physicist

I move alot and I had to give up schlepping books everywhere I went. It was very freeing once I let it go.


24 posted on 03/23/2006 12:08:27 PM PST by Hildy
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To: tbird5

I'm into first editions (preferably signed) as well. Alibris.com has been an incredible source for me. I have first editions of nearly all of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe series. Stout rocks (Wolfe rolls). ;-)


25 posted on 03/23/2006 12:09:42 PM PST by Quilla
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To: Physicist
Mr. BBL has threatened to give me a hammer, nails and wood so I can start adding my own $%^& shelves! [almost every room in the house has a set of bookshelves] LOL!

I love to read before bedtime when everything is quiet and the distractions of the day fade away, I can climb into the novel and enjoy it.

What a pleasant mental disorder... :)
26 posted on 03/23/2006 12:09:54 PM PST by BlessedByLiberty (Respectfully submitted,)
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To: Physicist; proxy_user

One collector was also a shop owner and made a good dent into trying to obtain one copy of every record ever released. I think his store inventory alone was something like 250,000 records (don't recall his personal collection number).


27 posted on 03/23/2006 12:10:00 PM PST by weegee ("Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but Democrats believe every day is April 15.")
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To: Physicist

Sigh. I'm known as a very tight tight-wad. Until I get near a book. Then take your pick of images. Like a child in a candy shop. An alcoholic in a state store. The wallet and/or credit card knows boundaries no longer. My husband and I are going to move when we can get the house ready to sell. I have one main request--a room big enough for a good-sized library. I would sleep and eat in there if necessary.


28 posted on 03/23/2006 12:10:06 PM PST by twigs
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To: Hildy
Southwestern Jewish cuisine????? What the hell is that? Spicy Matzah Ball Soup?

Don't be silly. More like Gefilte Fish Enchiladas.

29 posted on 03/23/2006 12:10:19 PM PST by Labyrinthos
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To: trimom
Desiderius Erasmus.
30 posted on 03/23/2006 12:10:39 PM PST by Physicist
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To: Physicist

I must confess tis I. I love books and think a house is naked without book shelves. I have books in about every nook and cranny of our house. Books are my security blanket. I actually love the smell and feel of books. Especially the texture of older leather bound books.

My father loved to read and passed that love on to me. I still remember the last book he read to me. He died when I was seven so that memory is precious.

Give me a cup of tea, a good book and some fine music and I have my own little slice of heaven.


31 posted on 03/23/2006 12:11:06 PM PST by lastchance (Hug your babies.)
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To: Physicist

I own several thousand books - my wife put her foot down and now I am on a strict maintenance program.


32 posted on 03/23/2006 12:12:03 PM PST by wideawake
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To: Physicist
I have a fairly extensive private library. So yes I am an avid bibliophile. My collection grows - like Topsy.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

33 posted on 03/23/2006 12:12:29 PM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: Hermann the Cherusker

Books hold little value if they aren't 1st edtions,1st printings (with an A or 1 on the copyright page) or in leather. Also must be free of remainder marks. Some just aren't worth keeping.


34 posted on 03/23/2006 12:12:33 PM PST by tbird5
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To: weegee

That's interesting. I do the same thing. I need books I've used for later reference. My books have been in storage for a number of years now and I feel like part of me is missing. It's very frustrating.


35 posted on 03/23/2006 12:12:37 PM PST by twigs
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To: Physicist

My book collection has been a matter of dispute since my wife and I were married 16 years ago.

They fill not only the bookcases in the den, but most of the den closet, most of the attic and several drawers throughout the house.

When she had our 2nd daughter last November, she put her foot down and demanded that I free up some space in the den clsoet for the baby's things. So, I bought some large plastic containers, filled them with books, sealed them up and took them outside to the storage shed. That gave her half the closet, but the other half is still full of my books.

I can't help it!


36 posted on 03/23/2006 12:13:03 PM PST by Skooz (Chastity prays for me, piety sings............Modesty hides my thighs in her wings......)
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To: Physicist

(sigh)

This is me. I just turned my spare bedroom into a library. I bought 2 more bookcases and filled 1 of them with the books I had on the coffee table.

LOL


37 posted on 03/23/2006 12:13:28 PM PST by RikaStrom (The number one rule of the Kama Sutra is that you both be on the same page.../Exeter 051705)
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To: JohnnyZ
But when he moved to a one-bedroom Dupont Circle apartment with a partner who collects large art and architecture books.

I had to do a double-take after reading the article and seeing the uncaptioned photo (post #3) because Dupont Circle "partners" are typically not of the opposite sex. The photo is not of the pair mentioned above, but of a different pair mentioned in the article. It is still undetermined if the bibliopath is more of a fruitcake than you already mentioned.

I will probe no further into the Dupont Circle duo, due to fear of probing retribution.

38 posted on 03/23/2006 12:13:30 PM PST by kaboom
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To: Physicist

yes.


39 posted on 03/23/2006 12:13:42 PM PST by TASMANIANRED (The Internet is the samizdat of liberty..)
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To: Physicist

My shelves were filled 10 years ago and now the books are stacked all over.


40 posted on 03/23/2006 12:14:28 PM PST by bert (K.E. N.P. Slay Pinch)
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