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Discarded delights: The joy of ex-library books (2021)

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96 points MrVandemar | 3 comments | 20 Nov 24 09:58 UTC | HN request time: 0.626s | source
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sofayam ◴[20 Nov 24 11:37 UTC] No.42192915[source]▶
If you are going to collect books as physical objects, rather than their much more convenient digital versions, then it strikes me you should actually find the signs of previous interactions with that object (library stamps, marks from other readers etc) make them more interesting than pristine copies that no one has read.
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iamacyborg ◴[20 Nov 24 11:45 UTC] No.42192968[source]▶
That runs very much counter to how collectors actually collect books currently. The more pristine the book, the better, aside from particularly rare or valuable inscriptions.
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1. sevensor ◴[20 Nov 24 13:31 UTC] No.42193781[source]▶
True, but collecting is generally a terrible investment from a pecuniary perspective, unless you’re the mercenary type of collector who sells to people making terrible investments.
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2. iamacyborg ◴[20 Nov 24 13:42 UTC] No.42193858[source]▶
Sure, albeit I’ve definitely got some stuff that’s appreciated quite considerably in price. Not that I intend to sell it.
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3. sevensor ◴[20 Nov 24 15:51 UTC] No.42195020[source]▶
Yeah, speaking as someone who inherited a stamp collection, the one thing to avoid is thinking you’re in it for the resale value when you really just want an excuse to buy the object of your desire.