Book Decluttering

I promised to tell you how I've taken the sting out of decluttering my precious books. First of all, I realized that quality was more important than quantity and that only a tenth of my books were genuine "keepers." In an earlier post I wrote that I had decided to own less books, but that the ones which stayed in my library would be durable enough to read and re-read. This is where the fun comes in.

For every ten books I've donated to the thrift store, sold on Amazon, or traded at PBS, I've allowed myself to accumulate an old favorite in hardcover form. Since I'm a penny pincher from the word "go" (which is why my present library consists of shabby paperbacks), I've been delighted to scour around for deals. I found Pilgrim's Progress (the Everyman's Library version) for a dollar at Amazon. I received all three of my favorite Austen novels in NEW hardcovers from PaperBackSwap. I also found a hardback copy of my favorite Trollope novel and another of Peter Pan at PBS. It's easy to kiss those tattered, less-loved paperbacks goodbye when I know I'm building up a pretty decent basic library.

(The public library will continue to be a much needed resource for books that I want to read but have no desire to keep.)