The discussion revolves around the fate of large personal book collections, touching upon themes of preservation, digitization, intellectual property, the value of physical books, and the changing nature of ownership and collecting.
Preservation and Digitization Efforts
Many users expressed a desire for large book collections, like the one featured in the article, to be preserved and made accessible, often through digitization. There's a general appreciation for libraries and the efforts to preserve knowledge in physical form.
- "I love libraries of all kinds, and wish LLM training development will drive even greater preservation and digitization efforts." – yourapostasy
- "I sure hope someone preserves this collection, installs a dry fire extinguisher system, and digitizes into the Internet Archive what doesn’t already exist online." – yourapostasy
- "Unless aggressively digitized, most of the data will become unobtainium at some point." – contingencies
- "I wish I could get rid of them all; when I want to read one again I just pirate a scan." – pessimizer
Some acknowledge the practical challenges of such endeavors, requiring significant organization and resources.
- "It would be something a whole organization and public campaign would need to be built around." – hopelite
The Value and Experience of Physical Books
A recurring sentiment is the intrinsic value and unique experience associated with physical books, which cannot be replicated by digital formats. This sentiment often contrasts with the convenience of e-readers and digital access.
- "I can imagine the smell that greets you walking round this amazing collection of books. I'd love to browse." – sherr
- "I have a Kindle but it has had a flat battery for years now because I just love paper books too much." – sherr
- "With Internet Archives/Project Gutenberg/etc. you can of course have your ebook versions but there is nothing like having a hard copy in hand." – rramadass
- "The right book at the right time can often be transformative opening up your mind to new ideas/possibilities and leading to better knowledge and wisdom." – rramadass
- "One learns to respect previous standards of writing, editing, illustration, design, publishing and printing. Oh how the mighty have fallen!" – contingencies
The "Post-Ownership" World and Intellectual Property
Several contributors touched upon the evolving concept of ownership in the digital age, citing DRM and the inability to freely share, trade, or pass down digital content as a form of "post-ownership." The practice of "piracy" is even reframed by some as reclaiming rights.
- "We have also already traversed, unwittingly, into a post-ownership world and the IP issue would need to be dealt with since it was not dealt with to this point and the thieves have gotten away with robbery by default. Books were one of the first steps into a world where you do not own anything you buy, you merely possess it until the IP owner decides to revoke their authority for everything you think you own." – hopelite
- "I recall the ironic incident in around 2013 where Amazon without permission simply deleted people’s copies of a purchased book from their Kindles due to some IP dispute with a publisher, without even providing notice. The book … 1984, by George Orwell." – hopelite
- "It is why in understand if people “pirate” or maybe better put, seize their rights." – hopelite
- "Something you cannot share, trade, exchange, gift, pass down, sell, or often even move… is not something you own." – hopelite
- "all my Amazon books were dedrm'ed and my kindle does not connect to the WiFi. I've stopped buying from Amazon since they removed the transfer via usb option." – exe34
The Fate of Personal Collections and the Nature of Collecting
A significant portion of the discussion grappled with the impermanence of personal collections and the challenges of ensuring their continuity after the collector's death. There's a debate about whether collecting is a "waste" of time or a fulfilling hobby, and the societal trend of younger generations not inheriting the same passion for physical media.
- "His worst fear resonates with me: if the collection is separated, all his collecting was basically a waste of time and effort. I share similar thoughts: how to avoid that the collection gets ripped apart upon my departure? How to ascertain continuity (if now growth, at least at the status quo level)? Where should bet books be located so as to maximize utility? And, worst of all, how to stop the decay in people's willingness to read books for curiosity's and knowledge's sake?" – jll29
- "As someone who often sees personal collections scathered around in the dust of flea markets, I would say there is nothing you can actually do to be safe. Even if your kids preserve it, their kids will pay local gypsies to take it all away so they can renovate the houses and flats. From there it's as good as trash." – frainfreeze
- "At some level all collecting is a "waste" of time and effort. The joy of collecting is in the hunt, not the meal." – bruce511
- "We collect because collecting is a hobby - it passes the time and provides enjoyment. 99% of collections have 0 intrinsic value." – bruce511
- "Inheriting collections is not collecting. It's just stuff yo get rid of." – bruce511
- "If there's anything valuable in your collection, sell it yourself before you die. Or put it in the "specials case". No one will sift your collection for wheat - it'll just all be thrown out or given away." – bruce511
- "I just helped clean up the estate of an uncle of mine that died. He'd collected an absolutely massive amount of books during his lifetime... I managed to save some of the rare works but I could find absolutely no takers for the bulk of the books, at any price or even for free. That generation is leaving behind an enormous amount of paper and it is mostly going to waste." – jacquesm
- "My own books I keep giving away on the promise that whoever gets the book will read it and pass it on. That way they stay alive for a little bit longer. Some books I keep buying again just so I can have the pleasure of giving them away once more." – jacquesm
- "It's a very good idea for a collector to own a place to keep the stuff." – pavlov
- "Perhaps, but even for valuable things like musical instruments the floor space ends up being far more valuable than the objects. Hence the relentless march of waste disposal. It's very sad but a core fact of modern life that land is money." – pjc50
- "I've been to a few "bookstores" that were basically somebody's house, but an hour's drive to the nearest town and therefore only getting specialist traffic or people in the area for other tourism." – pjc50
The motivation behind collecting and its potential for obsession were also discussed, with some viewing it as a fulfilling lifestyle and others as a potential affliction.
- "Being a collector is an affliction. A huge house given over to his collection while he relegates himself to the groundskeepers cottage. A lifetime acquiring money to grow the collection. I hope selling it gives him some peace." – fancyfredbot
- "What a strange read on the situation. The man combined his hobby with his profession and is now retiring a millionaire. Best I can tell the guy must feel like he's had a rewarding, satisfying life so far." – akk0
- "Unhealthy in what way? The article mentions that he is (or was) an active seller as well as a buyer. His lifestyle doesn't seem particularly unhealthy either." – Freak_NL
- "Depends on what you find important in life. I would love a life where I get to drive around the country, collect books and make enough money to retire a millionaire." – dyauspitr
The Decline of Used Bookstores and the Search for Rare Books
The discussion also touched upon the changing landscape of used bookstores, with many noting their decline. For those seeking truly rare items, the focus is shifting to pre-ISBN titles, as anything with an ISBN is generally known and cataloged.
- "I have seen dozens of old book stores close over the past 20 years. Truly rare books and incunabula" – aurizon
- "I think Ebay was the beginning of the end. Most books in the past ~100 years were printed in substantial press runs, and many had reprints. That meant they were not globally rare, just widely scattered. Ebay revealed their vast numbers and a level marketplace emerged." – aurizon
- "Basically anything with an ISBN is catalogued, known, and sold. If you want to find rare books of any value anymore, you need to know your pre-ISBN titles." – bombcar
- "I myself have done something similar with my own books - I’ve given a few copies of Neuromancer away. One of which I gave away as part of an Android: Netrunner sale" – ycombinete
- "I wish I could get rid of them all; when I want to read one again I just pirate a scan." - pessimizer
- "I used to imagine running some kind of second hand book business (non profit) when I retire. Sad that these days it may not be feasible." – thevagrant