"collecting and reading books can be two separate activities"
- Fabian S. Klinke (my age old excuse)this is a collection of books i have read, explored, or plan to read, organized by category. i buy books not only to read them but also to surround myself with physical reminders of ideas i want to keep close.
for academic sources and papers cited in my notes, see the bibliography.
Umberto Eco, who owned 50,000 books, had this to say about home libraries:
“It is foolish to think that you have to read all the books you buy, as it is foolish to criticize those who buy more books than they will ever be able to read. It would be like saying that you should use all the cutlery or glasses or screwdrivers or drill bits you bought before buying new ones.
“There are things in life that we need to always have plenty of supplies, even if we will only use a small portion.
“If, for example, we consider books as medicine, we understand that it is good to have many at home rather than a few: when you want to feel better, then you go to the ‘medicine closet’ and choose a book. Not a random one, but the right book for that moment. That’s why you should always have a nutrition choice!
“Those who buy only one book, read only that one and then get rid of it. They simply apply the consumer mentality to books, that is, they consider them a consumer product, a good. Those who love books know that a book is anything but a commodity.”
Classics
Fiction
Science_Fiction
Culture
Biography
Art_&_Design
Mathematics
Cooking
Programming
History
Science
Finance
Spirituality
Philosophy
Audio
Productivity
Music
Other
Psychology
Business