Does anyone still read books?

[Rickf1985]

I have a lot of old books that I simply cannot throw out. There have got to still be people is this world that actually read printed books. These are all old books, as an example I have two huge Mark Twain books. I have many WWII aircraft books from my dad. I also have several books on Hitler that I doubt anyone has interest in but my dad studied him extensively and I think it had something to do with whatever he did in the military. He never told me what that was to the day he passed but I do know that when I was in and I needed to get T1 secret clearance I found out quickly that he also had that clearance.
I gave probably 100 books to a young lady who was starting a library in a depressed area of Philadelphia as a college project, never heard the outcome but I suspect most of those books probably ended up in a dumpster eventually. I do not want that to happen with these. They are old enough to be part of our history and I do not want some Woke idiot saying that is not permissible to read.

[Polymath]

I have many old books too. I am presently reading a compilation of Outdoor life Magazine's best stories. Don't throw them away. Once gone, forever gone. The digital age will disappear. When they say the internet is forever... nuh uh. One EMP and Zisst. Gone.

[waksupi]

I read a lot, but like many, have gone to electronic books. I like to be able to carry a thousand books with me.
Aside from some rare reference books, there isn't a big market. Even those have dropped. One reference book I have was $600 five years ago, and it's value has dropped to $60.
I have also had a hard time parting with my hard copies. I recently donated quite a few to the local library. Some were over a hundred year old first editions. I'd looked them up, nothing rare, $15 tops on any of them. If I had to mail them, they would essentially be free to the purchaser after I paid postage.

[Electrod47]

I have an entire library at home. 200 of my most treasured. Mostly historical, all pre-1950 topics. Educational books mainly concerned with the hunting/fishing/shooting stuff. I have only a handfull of novels. 3 from my childhood. First book ever read titled "Cowdog" and a couple sci-fi that stoked my imagination at 13 by Andre Norton, who I later learned was actually a woman. In the 1980's living practically on top of the site of the old Katherine Mine at Lake Mohave Arizona my teenage son and I devoured every Louie L'Amour paperback ever printed Twice! Plus a couple "Longarms" when nobody was lookin'.........The only book I have purchased recently concerned the death of JFK.
When I get the urge to read today I merely re-read something from my library.....yes I have several bibles also. I love re-reading the old King James version concerning Sampson...."The Philistines are upon you!!!

[BrassMagnet]

I love old books!
I collect old "how to" and history books. Another favorite is books on military equipment.
Have I ever mentioned that I worked in aviation for over forty years? Tomcats in the Navy and civil aviation.

[lightman]

I'm a reader! I donated a lot of my books to the local library when we recently moved.

[challenger_i]

I have a varied taste in printed material. As for "old books", a fair chunk of my collection were printed prior to the War of Northern Aggression, which are hugely informative on the political goings-on of the Post-Revolutionary War period. One of my prized possessions is a complete set of L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first printing (did I mention a "varied" taste?).

[Nines&Twos]

I just started How to enjoy the Bible by E.W. Bullinger. Much harder to digest than I thought it would be but that's half the fun of reading older authors. No matter how good the story...most modern authors style of writing leaves much to be desired.

[BrassMagnet]

When I was young, my Grandma always gardened. She lived on a tiny corner lot. Her gardening had the few square feet she had covered in flowers and edible landscaping. Nut trees, fruit trees, roses and many other flowers. She also grew a lot of vegetables. I remember garlic and carrots. I'm sure there were more. For the carrots, she never bought seeds. She saved seeds. I did not learn how back then and I have no clue what variety of carrots she grew year after year from saved seeds. I now have a book on saving seeds and I am learning how.
When I was younger, I also got to attend school in the same school district my Mother attended school. I got to compare her school books to mine. What a shock! I didn't know history could change that much in less than twenty years!
Books are good to have. I also have a Kindle. With a Kindle, Amazon can ban a book you have and it will disappear off your Kindle without a trace. I can't prove it, but I suspect it will also disappear from your purchase history so you can't even complain about it. A paper book on good quality paper can last over a hundred years.
Technical books, text books, and how to books could really help you keep going in bad times. When will bad times come? I doubt next week, but I am not so sure about next month.

[challenger_i]

Writing styles... That is an interesting subject in itself. Read the common literature from the late 1700's (say, James Fenimore Cooper) mid 1800's, early to mid 1900's (that section reads like it was meant for grade-school kids) and then the last 30 years. It will open One's eyes.

[high standard 40]

I read printed books every day and have been doing so for quite a while. Almost exclusively crime drama and action books. I never really got interested in history or the classics. I also keep all my books and my library is growing so I'm a collector as much as a reader. I have some books I've read more than once and always find enjoyment in doing so. There are several authors that I buy from. The list of authors is as follows:

Barry Eisler
Craig Johnson
Lee Child
Michael Connely
Stephen Hunter
Vince Flynn
Jack Carr
Mark Greaney
James Lee Burke
Joshua Hood

[abunaitoo]

I read books for entertainment.
Just like the feel of holding paper in my hands.
Have way to many book collected.
Tried to give some away on craigs list, and never even got a nibble.
Tried those ipads and tablets, but just didn't like the feel of it.
To me, people have just gotten stupid these days, because they just don't read anymore.
I knew a guy who couldn't even read a menu, and graduated from high school here.
Just goes to show what kind of school system we have.
Guy I know reads on audio books.
Sign of the times.
Sad.

[Froogal]

Wife was given one of those KINDLE things as a retirement gift. We both have tried reading books on it but neither of us like it for that. She has some word games that she plays on that thing, otherwise it is useless.

Local library has an ongoing used book sale. People donate books they no longer want, and the library then sells them for $1.00. We have built a fairly good library of our own. Several "Clive Cussler" and "James Patterson" novels.

[challenger_i]

"Clive Cussler"... Now, THERE was a wordsmith with a wild imagination! Feature a hot-air dirigible airship, powered by Rotax engines. In Equitorial Africa. Sneaking up on Dirk Pitt ("Blue Gold"). I realize not everyone is aeronautically privy, but how many folks among us can count the errors in that scenario?

[Duckiller]

Clive Cussler lives in a unreal world. Read one of his books that had no relation to our real world geology and gave up on his fanasty. James Paterson co writes with too many people. Just trying to make a buck.

[Scrounge]

I quit smoking as a teen, the day I found I could get five used paperback books for what my 3 packs of cigarettes cost each day. Won't say it's saved me any money, but I think I might be a bit healthier. ;) I have worn out a few kindles. Mostly, I use one of the android tablets or phones. Kindles are a crippled android tablet, with fewer apps available. I have the Kindle App, and two other ebook reader apps on my phones and tablet. Last I checked, I have something on the order of 13,000 ebooks that are mostly fiction. I've got a 1terabyte microSD card in my Samsung 10" tablet that has nearly 500 gigabytes of metalworking and gunsmithing and electronics and other technical material on it, in addition to all the fiction. Until I got the new phone, I had a 500gb microSD card in it, too. The new phone won't take any microSD cards, but does have 128gb of storage. :(

Physical books are declining in my library, but that's because many of them are already pretty old, and we had some flooding decades ago that took out nearly a third of what I already had. A lot of that was irreplaceable, and I didn't have a good catalog of what I had. One of the things I got to help me with my problem was a ledger-size scanner/printer/fax. I can scan most magazines or books, and save them. Though it's very time-consuming, so I've not gotten a lot of it done. I'm also finding it difficult to catalog the electronic books.

But I spend at least an hour a day reading something. I've found a series of science fiction books that are comedic, and romantic, and just generally fun. Starts with Bob's Saucer Repair by Jerry Boyd. Just bought the 43rd book in the series. Kindle books, at $2.99 each. It's my go-to escape fiction when I need a break from real life. Also read books on metalworking, gunsmithing, shooting, prepping, and especially military science fiction. The one thing I'm throwing away is all my teaching books. Spent a decade going to school to be a teacher, collected several thousands of dollars in books on teaching, but subjects and pedagogy, and they're mostly useless and worthless. So now they're landfill. I collect and try to protect all other kinds of books, though. Love paper books. The smell and feel of them. But I cannot carry even a small percentage of what I have with me in paper formats.

For a while, I was copy&pasting the text from the BSR books into a text document, and converting them to one of the ebook formats my other apps can read, but I'm way behind on that, and I don't know if the current Kindle for PC app still allows that. You lose all the formatting and any illustrations, but do save the text. Great for fiction, not so good for technical material.

[challenger_i]

Scrounge: as regards your "teaching" books, how slick is the paper? Never know when we might have another dempanic...

[Alex_4x4]

Writing styles... That is an interesting subject in itself. Read the common literature from the late 1700's (say, James Fenimore Cooper) mid 1800's, early to mid 1900's (that section reads like it was meant for grade-school kids) and then the last 30 years. It will open One's eyes.

Can I ask you to explain what you want to say? Did I understand correctly that the texts of the same work and author, but in books from different decades of publication, differ?

Topicstarter - thank you! You raised an interesting topic.

A paper book, once printed, will never change the text it contains, but an electronic book is rather information for familiarization and comprehension, and it is difficult to say how this information can transform over time.

[Wayne Smith]

No, he's talking about how the English language has simplified over the generations.

[challenger_i]

Writing styles. How the "story" is carried, and how it is perceived by the reader. Reading a selection from each period is an eye-opener.
An example: "A Tale of Two Cities" is vivid, and makes the reader feel they are in the setting. "The Grapes of Wrath" gives One the impression of being lectured to by the Professor.


Can I ask you to explain what you want to say? Did I understand correctly that the texts of the same work and author, but in books from different decades of publication, differ?

[Rickf1985]

:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

[Good Cheer]

Went on a David Weber mindless fun binge and now I'm running out of book shelves again.
Oh well, been threatening to build more.

[Rickf1985]

I do not want to get rid of these books, it is more a matter of I have to since I live in a small house and I need the room. I already had issues with one area of my floor sagging due to the large bookshelf on that wall which was unsupported underneath. I put jacks under that one wall but I can't keep going round the house jacking up walls of old books.

[challenger_i]

You have the Dahak series in that stash?


Went on a David Weber mindless fun binge and now I'm running out of book shelves again.
Oh well, been threatening to build more.

[gc45]

My personal library has many of the classics, also books by Hemingway, Mark Twain, etc. I really love real history though, biblical and other, just something that teaches real life experiences. As an Engineer, I have many books on the subject and still refer to them on occasion, also my collection of collectable gun books like, the big Winchester Book, The rifleman's rifle 1st addition, Smith collectors book, Ned Swing books, Trapdoor books and many, many more on the different guns of mostly American made stuff. I have all the Shooters Bibles up through 1969 accept two additions, quite a few books on tractors and their repair, books on gunstock making as I once did that for a hobby, also a few books on metal lathes and their operation and use that helped in learning how to operate my bench lathe. I suppose nobody wants these books any longer, especially the younger crowd afterall, they can't read it on their cell phone it has no interest. I used to collect the old paperback wetern books as they were cheap and fun to read, nothing better than a Will Henry book late at night...

[challenger_i]

Books are a treasure. One day, they will be worth their weight in gold. When Mankind was digging itself out of the Dark Ages, of the wares and goods the Venetians and Genoans were bringing from the East, written material was the most sought-after commodity.

[Froogal]

"Clive Cussler"... Now, THERE was a wordsmith with a wild imagination! Feature a hot-air dirigible airship, powered by Rotax engines. In Equitorial Africa. Sneaking up on Dirk Pitt ("Blue Gold"). I realize not everyone is aeronautically privy, but how many folks among us can count the errors in that scenario?

I am blissfully ignorant when it comes to aeronautics or pretty much anything related to navigating in or on water, so I just read the stories and fantasize.

[challenger_i]

That is what reading novels is all about. Entertainment, and a modicum of escape from what passes for current Reality. I just found it super humorous that the Bad Guy was able to sneak up on anybody with a pair of screaming Rotax's in a hot-air dirigible airship in the Tropics. Three fails in the same sentence. The trick with GOOD fiction writing is to make it plausible.

[FISH4BUGS]

I have many books related to the Japanese War Crimes trials and Nuremburg Nazi Trials. My Dad was connected to the Japanese trials and the process is very interesting to me.

[Shanghai Jack]

We don need any stinkin books - we got the interweb.

[challenger_i]

Til the power goes out...

[James Wisner]

Recently I pulled out my E.R.B. novels and worked my way thru the John Carter of Mars. Have now started on the Tarzan novels.
I bought a bunch of them in the 70's and 80's, then a cousin gave me all of his which filled all the gaps, so I now have every one that E.R.B. wrote.
The best part is I now have a couple of First Printing and a few 2nd printing, plus all the 3rd printing I had bought.

Always grab a novel to take with me when I go to the Docs office to read while I wait

JW

[shooterg]

At least one a week, used to be more. Eyes now get blurry after a bit, sucks. Got all of L'Amour, plenty of Patterson, T. Jefferson Parker was always good. Roy Chandler's books were great. Couple good ones by Recluse I found here ! All of the Jack Reacher books to date. Lots of material dealing with the War of Northern Aggression. Action, history, hard up will even read one of the bride's romance types ! Got American Rifleman back to 1929, find something interesting every time I re-read one !

Kindle not for me.

[Shanghai Jack]

As a kid I had the entire Doc Savage series. When I left home my mother thought it would be a good idea to donate the collection. Spent the last 20 years rebuilding the collection. They're not great literary works but I enjoy the escapism.

[GhostHawk]

Love to read but I was an early adopter of E-books. Started out with a Russian ebook reader that read 14 different file types. Rechargeable battery with a USB cord, and a socket for an SD/SDHD card that could hold up to 32 gigs. That is a LOT of books.

Nowdays I do it on on a HP laptop with a free program called "Book Bazaar" free at the Microsoft store.

I have more rubbermaid tubs of hardcover books than I know what to do with. And one that is solid 60's and 70's sci-fi gold. Including a lot of the classic authors.
I also have 6 hardcovers by Larry Niven that were signed in person at the Winnipeg Key Convention in 95. (our honeymoon, a week before our wedding)

[MaryB]

I quit smoking as a teen, the day I found I could get five used paperback books for what my 3 packs of cigarettes cost each day. Won't say it's saved me any money, but I think I might be a bit healthier. ;) I have worn out a few kindles. Mostly, I use one of the android tablets or phones. Kindles are a crippled android tablet, with fewer apps available. I have the Kindle App, and two other ebook reader apps on my phones and tablet. Last I checked, I have something on the order of 13,000 ebooks that are mostly fiction. I've got a 1terabyte microSD card in my Samsung 10" tablet that has nearly 500 gigabytes of metalworking and gunsmithing and electronics and other technical material on it, in addition to all the fiction. Until I got the new phone, I had a 500gb microSD card in it, too. The new phone won't take any microSD cards, but does have 128gb of storage. :(

Physical books are declining in my library, but that's because many of them are already pretty old, and we had some flooding decades ago that took out nearly a third of what I already had. A lot of that was irreplaceable, and I didn't have a good catalog of what I had. One of the things I got to help me with my problem was a ledger-size scanner/printer/fax. I can scan most magazines or books, and save them. Though it's very time-consuming, so I've not gotten a lot of it done. I'm also finding it difficult to catalog the electronic books.

But I spend at least an hour a day reading something. I've found a series of science fiction books that are comedic, and romantic, and just generally fun. Starts with Bob's Saucer Repair by Jerry Boyd. Just bought the 43rd book in the series. Kindle books, at $2.99 each. It's my go-to escape fiction when I need a break from real life. Also read books on metalworking, gunsmithing, shooting, prepping, and especially military science fiction. The one thing I'm throwing away is all my teaching books. Spent a decade going to school to be a teacher, collected several thousands of dollars in books on teaching, but subjects and pedagogy, and they're mostly useless and worthless. So now they're landfill. I collect and try to protect all other kinds of books, though. Love paper books. The smell and feel of them. But I cannot carry even a small percentage of what I have with me in paper formats.

For a while, I was copy&pasting the text from the BSR books into a text document, and converting them to one of the ebook formats my other apps can read, but I'm way behind on that, and I don't know if the current Kindle for PC app still allows that. You lose all the formatting and any illustrations, but do save the text. Great for fiction, not so good for technical material.

You would like the Honor Carrington series of Scifi books(if you haven't already read them!). It os rare I pay full price for an ebook, this series I did as they came out. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorverse

[MaryB]

I thinned my physical book collection down to first editions, most signed. I have 4 signed by Heinlein, relatively rare... I went to reading kindle books on my android phone(6" screen) and read 2-3 books a week...reading is how I turn my brain off to be able to sleep! If I start thinking about a project I will lay awake all night.

[Kraschenbirn]

A book or two a week from the public library with a personal library that's fairly eclectic; full sets of L'amour and Heinlein in paperback, O'Conner, Keith, Nonte, and Brownell (all four volumes of 'Gunsmith Kinks') in hardbound, plus a couple bookcases of military history (half of one case dedicated to the American Civil War). Of course, there's also Hemingway, Churchill (a 1st U.S edition set), and some P.J. O'Rourke. More in the basement, mostly assorted sci-fi and old aviation texts and reference manuals.

Bill

[challenger_i]

Krasch, you will find most of Sir Winston's writings were published in the States. He DOES have a way with words! :)

[kevin c]

I was a bookworm as a kid, but fell out of the habit over the years. I built a library, anticipating a sedentary retirement, but have been too busy to read all the books I stocked it with.

Reading an hour a day might be as fun for me as a Wikipedia walk about and definitely better than a Quora crawl. I do like browsing the web, but there’s something satisfying sitting in a comfortable chair with snacks and beverage close at hand, a good book in my lap and a ready view out the window to the garden and bird feeders if my eyes get tired. I think I’ll get back to it. Thanks for putting the idea back in my head!

[Bazoo]

I'm a reader. I read very little fiction. I love about anything to do with history.

One of my favorite books is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Wild to think that all that was a true story.

[augercreek]

I normally read short stories because I'm a slow reader. Can't read any faster than I speak. I do like historical books especially our history as a nation. Right now I'm reading U.S.Grants memoirs. Very interesting to me!

[Good Cheer]

You have the Dahak series in that stash?

Not the Dahak. Not yet.

[Good Cheer]

To live in a time when someone will bring a book to your front door cheaper than you can drive to the library; what a strange world we live in!

[Good Cheer]

You would like the Honor Carrington series of Scifi books(if you haven't already read them!). It os rare I pay full price for an ebook, this series I did as they came out. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorverse

[smilie=w:Harrington turned out to be a lot of fun.
It's a shame that a tv series didn't happen.

[Shopdog]

I hope so,built a dedicated library whilst building our house 35 years ago. Has ALL the bells N whistles. By "building" I mean every last stud,custom made moulds,and 30 thousand bricks vs paying someone to do it. It's an 1810 Federal period replica. Worked in some pretty dang serious historic preservation business for years. Whole family was contractors so just following in their footsteps.

Just finished; Thos. Kuhn, the Structure of Scientific Revolution c.1962

Currently on Friedman,Capitalism and Freedom also first published '62.

And gun related.. enjoying the heck out of Ray Smith,the Story of Pope's Barrels.

I run right around 100$ a month on books. In a post war (II) period now....

[Shanghai Jack]

In addition to my Doc Savage penchant, I'm a sucker for the golden age of science fiction. I remember being entranced by "Ace Doubles" those pulp novels that had two books combined with a cover on both sides Read one book, flip it over, and read a completely different boof.

[JSnover]

I'll read a good book cover-to-cover, and I've read a handful more than once. I tried one of those Kindle gadgets and it was pretty neat but I just couldn't get used to it. Two of my favorites are "The Liberators" by 'Viktor Suvarov' (1981) and "Van Loon's Geography" by Hendrik Willem Van Loon (1932).

[GhostHawk]

I agree with MaryB 1000%.

David Weber, Eric Flint, are some of the best Sci-fi out there.

Baen books also has a lot of free books available for download. Generally the first one of a new series.
Kinda like a drug dealer, first get them hooked, then charge what you like for the fix when it is needed.

[Charlie Horse]

Our library system has weekly book sales. You cannot believe the beautiful books they (try to) sell for a song. Old books. Picture books. Gorgeous coffee table books, classics. You name it. Fifty cents for a hard cover picture book. Ten cents for soft cover books.
They have a crew of volunteers who man the book warehouse every Monday morning. I go there often. My wife gets annoyed when I lug stuff home.

I got done with a book from there recently and shot it up in the garage. It made a serviceable backstop. You know what they say, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

I kind of hate to say this but I'm thinking of going there to get some books to use on the driveway for when I need to level up my car when checking fluid levels when changing transmission fluid. They would be cheaper than making ramps out of wood.

[Rapier]

Do not read or write near as much as I used to. My library got moved old house to new, but the book boxes are mostly still sealed. The six book cases got filled by the wife, with suff.

[MrWolf]

I have several bookcases and big boxes filled with my Sci fi and fantasy books plus several hundred ebooks. I can't get rid of them. I was also an idiot when I was younger and had lunch with Isaac Asimov and never got him to sign one of his books. Sometimes the paper is better but can't beat the convenience of an ebook.

Reference books I prefer to be hard copies. Just in case.

[Good Cheer]

Got an email that says Grayhound (the Tom Hanks movie) is waiting for me at the library so I best go to town tomorrow.

[waksupi]

A great advantage to the Kindles for me, is you can read where there is no power for lights. When I still lived in a teepee and one of my cabins years ago, I found reading by candle light to be a real struggle.

[white eagle]

I have a vast library of books
love history, native cultures and of course guns and all things that go bang

[quack1]

I don't like reading on a screen, I just do small doses at a time when on the computer. Much prefer real books or even magazines. I have collected hardback hunting (not the how-to type) and shooting books for years. I prefer the hunting books to have pre WWII content. I've filled nearly 30 feet of bookshelves with them. I find them at flea markets, gun shows, library sales and online. I've really been enjoying them again, since I retired. Some of my favorites are by Buckingham, Rutledge, Babcock, Oconnor, MacQuarrie, Spiller, Sheldon. Lots of good writing there.

[atr]

You bet I still read books !!! Since I am still working I have to stay current with the codes governing structural engineering so there is a lot of reading there. I also read books on history, especially American history. Currently reading Tom Paine's "Common Sense".
I avoid reading off a computer screen. Personally I don't think much of the 21st century and all its technology junk.

[Pipefitter]

YES!! I guess that I am one of the lucky few that lives (fairly) close to a used book store. Used hardcover books for less than $5, used paperbacks for $3 and under. Big science fiction/fantasy fan here. Anne McCaffery, Larry Niven, John Ringo, David Weber, Larry Correia. Heinlein, Asimov, and a slew of others. I try to spend about an hour a day reading, before work, break and lunchtime. Never liked the "screen readers", prefer to have a hardcopy book in my hands. When I started the first grade (never went to kindergarten), by Christmas I was reading at a sixth grade level. That year Santa brought be paperback copies of Ray Bradbury's R is for Rocket and S is for Space. While those copies have been long gone there are replacements on my bookshelves.

[challenger_i]

If you really like Space Opera, I do recommend the series. :)


Not the Dahak. Not yet.

[Scrounge]

You would like the Honor Carrington series of Scifi books(if you haven't already read them!). It os rare I pay full price for an ebook, this series I did as they came out. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorverse

Got 'em all, read them all, except the last one to date, multiple times. :) Plus everything else he's written, except the latest in his Out of the Dark series.

[Scrounge]

To live in a time when someone will bring a book to your front door cheaper than you can drive to the library; what a strange world we live in!

AMEN! And despite all its other problems, that is a great and wonderful thing!

[farmerjim]

I have thousands of books on my E-reader. Wife reads about 4 books a week, me just one sometimes 2.
When I was farming vegetables, I would listen to audio books about 7 hours a day.
Listening to a book is much slower than reading, but you can do it without slowing down in the field. I listened to Michener's Hawai and it took a full month at 5-8 hours a day. I also listen to books while on long drives like St. Francisville to the Fla. Keys. The average audio book is about 12-14 hours.

[Scrounge]

Not the Dahak. Not yet.

Once upon a time, I was writing my own book. Didn't go very far, as even I could see it was far too derivative of Star Trek. Then I found a copy of Mutineer's Moon, and he did SO much better with the story line that I quit thinking about reviving my effort at it. I have two or three paper copies, and both sequels, plus the omnibus edition. All in both paper & digital forms. When I'm too tired and/or sick to do anything else, and can't sleep, I'll pull that series up on the phone or tablet, and read it. Once upon a time, it was RAH's Glory Road...

[trebor44]

Never stopped, and have given many away!

[Slugster]

I started reading voraciously at about 7 years old. Read Mark Twains' books and was spellbound. My father was born and raised in Hannibal Missouri, and on one of our family visits we were allowed to visit the Samuel Clemons home. Seeing the house where the author lived was really cool.
Wife and I have owned three used bookstores, but it got to where you couldn't make enough money to keep the doors open. The e-readers have killed the book business. We donated tens of thousands of books to local library's. We went through our printed book collections last year and the wife donated most of hers (over 1000), and I donated several hundred of mine. I kept one large storage bin of books that are special to me. Not counting gun related tech manuals.
To me there is something special about the feel, smell, and just having a physical book in hand. Don't like e-readers and never will. Got one for Christmas a few years ago and it is still in the box it came in.

P.S. One of my worst pet peeves is people who dog ear the pages instead of using a bookmark. Grrr.

[alamogunr]

Just read this thread from post #1 to the end. Enlightening to see all the different preferences in book types and subjects. I started reading books at about 9 or 10 years old.
The small town I grew up in had a small public library and the only thing I remember is reading thru the entire Hardy Boys series. I know there were many others over the next 5-6 years. A drivers license put reading on hold except what was required for school and college. Didn't do much reading for about the first 10-15 years of marriage, kids and job.

Didn't really do much more while the kids were in college. Couldn't afford both books and tuition. After they both graduated and I expanded my gun hobby, I bought a lot of hobby type books, Both gun related and woodworking and tool related. So much in some cases that actually engaging in both those endeavors suffered.

I've come to realize that now that I'm in my elder years(81) and alone(my wife passed last spring) that many of these books may end up in a landfill. I've tried to sell a few but I seem to value them more than others do. It is enlightening to go to the online book sites and see the prices that those dealers put on some of the out of print books. I hope they have better luck selling them than I have had.

I've decided to pass them on to the sons and grandsons, especially the gun related books. I've got most of the books that John Taffin has written over the past ten years. I especially like the most recent published by Wolfe. Very good quality

My fiction reading is pretty much restricted to the Kindle. I've got a couple of gun books on one of the Kindles such as The Custom Revolver by Hamilton Bowen. I've also got the hardback copy.

Unlike several have mentioned, I enjoy using the Kindle. I have several hundred that my wife and I have purchased and probably more than that borrowed and returned.

[panhed65]

been reading books my whole life, at 75, still reading them.
Barry

[tinsnips]

Both my wife an I read alot of books.

[MaryB]

At one point my library was over 10,000 printed books... I got tired of dusting them and had read them all way to many times... when kindle ebooks came out I started gravitating to a format that was far more portable... ended up donating most of the physical books to a local library. I pretty much made p their scifi department(prior to my donation it was maybe 100 books...)

Now with physical arm limitations my phone is a lot lighter and easier to read on!

[challenger_i]

I donated some books that were duplicates of some in my collection to a public library: A friend of mine found them in the dumpster behind said library and brought them to me, knowing I liked old books, but not being aware I had donated these. Since then, I have not repeated that error.

[ulav8r]

Highly recommend 1632 by Eric Flint. Currently have just over 3900 books on Amazon, about 7500 my computer, and a few on my phone. Have quite a few print but they are too hard to keep handy and at hand.

[wch]

My old books, my old friends that have absorbed so much of my time over the years, will go to my local library when I'm gone.
I hope they bring others the knowledge and entertainment that they have brought to me.

[waksupi]

I donated some books that were duplicates of some in my collection to a public library: A friend of mine found them in the dumpster behind said library and brought them to me, knowing I liked old books, but not being aware I had donated these. Since then, I have not repeated that error.

There is a used book store here that gets in a lot of material. The owner heats his shop in the winter from books with no retail value.

[MT Gianni]

I serve on the County Library Board, volunteer at the local library, and read a lot. I had some good books on hunting and shooting I took to a gun show a while back. I priced them at what Amazon was selling used for. I took 40 books priced $5 each or 4 for $16. I sold 8.
Montana law says books over 5 years old and less than one checkout in the past year are to be disposed of unless the Librarian signs them to be OK. 95% of our donations go to our book sale, paper backs are 10 cents, hardbacks 25 cents.
There is very little market for used books. More books are being sold and read now than any time in history. I have trouble wrapping my mind around those two facts.

[shtur]

I found very few books that I would spend more than a day reading. I enjoy reading short magazine articles about hunting and fishing.

[Electrod47]

I donated some books that were duplicates of some in my collection to a public library: A friend of mine found them in the dumpster behind said library and brought them to me, knowing I liked old books, but not being aware I had donated these. Since then, I have not repeated that error.

Man, that's a gut punch. A cryin' shame. You deserve an explanation.

[LenH]

Started with James Lee Burke, then Vince Flynn, Lee Child, C J Box, David Baldacci.
I started reading a bit late In life plus I am a slow reader but remember most everything I read.

[10x]

I have discovered many "out of copyright" books here
Some incredible literature and history.
Much of it a window on the time it was written.


https://gutenberg.org/

[farmbif]

im currently working my way through "the flytiers manual" good thing there are lots of pictures. if only I could get my fingers to handle fishing line like years gone by.
every trip to Ollies is an adventure picking through the discounted books

[waksupi]

I have discovered many "out of copyright" books here
Some incredible literature and history.
Much of it a window on the time it was written.


https://gutenberg.org/

The huge plus for ebooks, is how many free books are available on line. For all the books I have downloaded, I've paid for very few.

[fiberoptik]

Free ebooks are nice, but they just aren’t the same thing. I like books [emoji432]! I’ve loved books since I learned to read! Mom would ground me from tv and I’d just grab a book. She’d say that I was un-grounded & could now watch tv. & I would say that’s nice, but I’m not done reading yet. I practically lived at the library.

[gwpercle]

I wish I didn't ... but my mother read to me as a cxhild , taught me to read and love reading books and all the wonderous things that are cointained on the pages of real books .
I've filled all the book shelves in our house with books , old and new .
I have a large Louisiana cookbook collection ... and after 50 years I'm oput of room . Too old to move or add on ... just going to read what I got ... Sitting in my easy chair , turning the pages making notes in the margins !
Gary

[Rickf1985]

I wish I didn't ... but my mother read to me as a cxhild , taught me to read and love reading books and all the wonderous things that are cointained on the pages of real books .
I've filled all the book shelves in our house with books , old and new .
I have a large Louisiana cookbook collection ... and after 50 years I'm oput of room . Too old to move or add on ... just going to read what I got ... Sitting in my easy chair , turning the pages making notes in the margins !
Gary

Louisiana cooking! When I was working down in the bayou areas in the 70's on a surveying crew we were surveying the lines of all of the government owned lands. As anyone familiar with Cajuns knows they are very distrustful of anybody doing work for the government but once they found out that most of our findings were working out in their favor we were fully accepted into the fold. Which meant we were invited to all of the cookouts and those people can COOK!!! Can't understand most of what they were saying, and at that time I did know and speak passable French, but the food was a very good interpreter. Also found out that Cajun made liquor was about the same potency as Sake!!!!

[gwpercle]

Louisiana cooking! When I was working down in the bayou areas in the 70's on a surveying crew we were surveying the lines of all of the government owned lands. As anyone familiar with Cajuns knows they are very distrustful of anybody doing work for the government but once they found out that most of our findings were working out in their favor we were fully accepted into the fold. Which meant we were invited to all of the cookouts and those people can COOK!!! Can't understand most of what they were saying, and at that time I did know and speak passable French, but the food was a very good interpreter. Also found out that Cajun made liquor was about the same potency as Sake!!!!

Awesome story ... and so very true !

You do know there are three ways you can become a Cajun ...
The first is by Birth ( the blood ) , second is by Marriage (the ring) and the third way is by the Back Door (assimilation ) ... Yeah , you hang around long enough and you start talkin funny , hunting and fishing a lot ... but man you sho gonna eat some good food while you are learning to be Cajun !

Thanks for posting ... it put a smile on my face !
Gary

[Bazoo]

I keep a list of books to acquire that I’ve ran across that seemed interesting. Sometimes it’s a book that was mentioned online in a forum, sometimes it’s a book that was on a shelf in a picture I saw. Once in a while I splurge and buy one.

[curiousgeorge]

My wife and I have thousands of books (and yes, I do mean thousands). Everything from the classics, mystery writers from the early 1900s, how-to manuals, several hundred Gun Digests / Reloaders Digests / reloading manuals / Handloader Magazines, and anything that interests us. From Shakespeare, Faulkner, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Margerie Allingham, Stephen King, Cormack McCarthy, John Wooters, Elmer Keith, and etc., etc., etc.

To us, there is no comparison between real books and something online or electronic. And as someone stated early on, one EMP and no more electronics. Depressing but true.

[challenger_i]

Whilst searching for something else, I came across this little jewel in my stash:

A General History for Colleges and High Schools.

Inscription shows it to have been entered into the Library of Congress 1889.
This may be keeping me up late, for several nights! :)

[starbits]

You can tell a lot about a person by the books they have on their shelves. When I am visiting someone I always check out their books if I can. Like many others here I don't care for the ebooks and much prefer an actual book. I generally only purchase non-fiction reference books, and get fiction books to read from the library. My shelves include the expected guns and shooting to blacksmithing, knots and ropework, flint knapping, early American tools, woodworking, Seleucid coins, meteorites, art and drawing, real estate investing, math and physics, etc.

[challenger_i]

I would give an Indian Head nickel for your first thoughts upon viewing my library! :)

[MaryB]

You can tell a lot about a person by the books they have on their shelves. When I am visiting someone I always check out their books if I can. Like many others here I don't care for the ebooks and much prefer an actual book. I generally only purchase non-fiction reference books, and get fiction books to read from the library. My shelves include the expected guns and shooting to blacksmithing, knots and ropework, flint knapping, early American tools, woodworking, Seleucid coins, meteorites, art and drawing, real estate investing, math and physics, etc.

I no longer display my books... all signed first editions... Heinlein autographed inside the front cover "Stranger in a Strange Land" in mint shape is valued over $20,000 now... they are locked up in a climate controlled case where no sunlight can reach them... have some others worth over $10k... many over $1k... "Foundation" trilogy signed first editions... $17k+++ They get treated like I would gold, an antique gun... locked up for safe keeping!

[Woodtroll]

I too prefer physical books, and I prefer nonfiction and particularly enjoy books from the mid-1800s to mid-1900s.

The good thing about e-readers, though, is that I have access to probably thousands of old books in electronic form that I would never be able to find or afford actual copies of. I'd rather read them on a Kindle than not at all!

[BobT]

I read books every day and have been an avid reader since I learned how some 60 years ago. My interests are pretty eclectic but, among other topics, I enjoy US history, especially the fur trade era but I also enjoy the typical hunting, fishing and firearms books. I'm currently reading The Book Of Rifle Accuracy by Tony Boyer, next in the que is Grimm's Fairy Tales. I envy those of you who have all of Louis L'Amour's books, I have a fair pile but am always on the lookout for more.

[10x]

Currently reading Volume 1, A History of the Inquisition.
Not a history of torture and violence, but a description of church politics between 900 and 1200 that have strong parallels to the politics and corruption of today

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/39451/39451-h/39451-h.htm

[challenger_i]

10 Xray, they called it the "Dark Ages" for a very good reason! When you get done, hunt up "The History of Europe 1450-1879". And, again, compare to "Current Events"...

[waksupi]

I read books every day and have been an avid reader since I learned how some 60 years ago. My interests are pretty eclectic but, among other topics, I enjoy US history, especially the fur trade era but I also enjoy the typical hunting, fishing and firearms books. I'm currently reading The Book Of Rifle Accuracy by Tony Boyer, next in the que is Grimm's Fairy Tales. I envy those of you who have all of Louis L'Amour's books, I have a fair pile but am always on the lookout for more.

I gave up on Louis L'Amour, when I realized they were the same story told over and over.

[10x]

10 Xray, they called it the "Dark Ages" for a very good reason! When you get done, hunt up "The History of Europe 1450-1879". And, again, compare to "Current Events"...

Only the names and dates change, the content and context are the same as today.
The axiom "history repeats itself" is an apt description

[10x]

I gave up on Louis L'Amour, when I realized they were the same story told over and over.

I got that after the third book, I still read them all to see if the theme and plot changed.

[JoeJames]

I have been a voracious reader for about 60 years. My favorite gun books are:
Shots Fired in Anger - John George
A Rifleman went to War - McBride
Ordnance went up front - Roy Dunlap
With British Snipers to the Reich by C Shore and Peter Senich. Attaching a picture of some of the others:

323855

[Plate plinker]

Yes, but not as often as time is scarce. Someday I will get to read again.

[Alex_4x4]

Question: does anyone present here take up restoration and binding of old books as a hobby? Or can someone suggest links to sites for those who like to restore old books at home?

[MT Gianni]

Alex, in the US most libraries have access to rebinding materials and there are companies that do it at a reasonable cost. For me, buying items require a large quantity of materials for just a few books.

[.429&H110]

You can Bubba a book like you can Bubba a firearm.
A valuable book should be repaired by a booksmith.

An old paperback can be repaired with flexible librarian tape that wears much longer than scotch tape.
I have some repairs at 30 years old that still stick.

Number 2 son was in the Army, and my local library was throwing out books. I mailed a few and got the library to mail "book rate" boxes of books to places I had never heard of. Library made some phone calls, and yah, people at Army bases want old books, for free.

There was a program to send "Bible sticks" to Afghanistan, since Bibles were forbidden. Apparently a couple million New Testament sticks were made, amazing thing was they also had Farsi and Arabic New Testaments on them.
"The Word of God will never return void"

[375supermag]

Hi...
Add me to the list of people who still read books.
I study military history, mostly WWII and paleontology.
I have an extensive library in my den and am constantly adding to it.
Many of the boks on paleontology concern hominid evolution, but I also study canine, feline and bear evolution as well as a fascination with dinosaurs and the megafauna that went extinct at the end of the last ice age.
My studies of WWII follows the battles and campaigns obviously but also weapons development including the intricacies of the manufacture and composition of armor plate.
I also read a fair amount of science fiction and have quite a few shooting relat
ed books.