The art of giving away books.
I'm certain that I'm not alone in my passion for books and reading, I'm actually quite confident that there are a lot of other people out there just like me, who has for years endured clever quips about being book-worms and the like. I am also certain that we've all experienced one particular problem:
Receiving books as gifts.
There is certainly nothing wrong with giving a book-lover books, the idea in principle is actually quite nice. The problem lies in the application of the principle, and some fatal misunderstandings as to the nature of the book-lover.
What most people assume is that since any book-lover will consume everywhere between One to Five books a week, they will throw themselves at anything longer than 75 pages in paperback. What they miss, is that a book-lover is not the equivalent of a fast food-junkie, but a connoisseur. With this faulty idea in mind the ignorant but well-meaning parents/siblings/lovers/distant relatives go down to their local bookstore confident that they only need to find something vaugely connected to any given interest besides books that the Book Lover may have.
I can't even begin to count the hoards of absolutely useless books about Horses I've got sitting around from back when I used to go horse-riding. Most of them has never been opened and the only thing I've read, has been the back, quickly establishing that given a choice, I wouldn't have touched this kind of chick. lit with a ten foot pole. So, this is a guide to how you buy someone a book as a present, without seeing your image as a decent human being crushed and thrown away with the wrapping paper.
1. If it all possible, find out specific titles they want.
I have learned that some find this dull, unsurprising and more like an order than a gift but really, we love it. We've gotten so many books we don't want we'll be jumping for joy. The effort you went through to subtly ask people around us, or asked us personally what we would like so you could get it for us, will not go unnoticed or unappreciated. It's considerate asking what people want, really.
2. Buy Classics.
In the sorry event that you are unable to find out what your victim is looking for, a classic is never a bad idea. Austen, Shakespeare, Orwell, Verne, Dickens, Tolstoy all those names your literature teacher went misty eyed about are good and should be part of any self-respecting Book Lover's library. Even if the author in and of itself does not suit our tastes (I hate Dickens with a ne'er-ending passion) it still looks good on our shelf, and we ought to read it anyway. Got to keep up with our general education, ya know? Just make sure you don't get us something we already have. Nobody likes to be given Oliver Twist for Christmas two years in a row.
3. Buy a gift-certificate
Lazy and unimaginative? You betcha. A Safe card? Yes. Does it beat random 4 for 3 pocket offers? Always.
And since I'm quite certain someone will come along and assume this is a plea for people to buy me books I will just go ahead and say that it's not.
This has been a Public Service announcement, feel free to print and put it on your refrigerator come future birthdays and Christmas -07.
Receiving books as gifts.
There is certainly nothing wrong with giving a book-lover books, the idea in principle is actually quite nice. The problem lies in the application of the principle, and some fatal misunderstandings as to the nature of the book-lover.
What most people assume is that since any book-lover will consume everywhere between One to Five books a week, they will throw themselves at anything longer than 75 pages in paperback. What they miss, is that a book-lover is not the equivalent of a fast food-junkie, but a connoisseur. With this faulty idea in mind the ignorant but well-meaning parents/siblings/lovers/distant relatives go down to their local bookstore confident that they only need to find something vaugely connected to any given interest besides books that the Book Lover may have.
I can't even begin to count the hoards of absolutely useless books about Horses I've got sitting around from back when I used to go horse-riding. Most of them has never been opened and the only thing I've read, has been the back, quickly establishing that given a choice, I wouldn't have touched this kind of chick. lit with a ten foot pole. So, this is a guide to how you buy someone a book as a present, without seeing your image as a decent human being crushed and thrown away with the wrapping paper.
1. If it all possible, find out specific titles they want.
I have learned that some find this dull, unsurprising and more like an order than a gift but really, we love it. We've gotten so many books we don't want we'll be jumping for joy. The effort you went through to subtly ask people around us, or asked us personally what we would like so you could get it for us, will not go unnoticed or unappreciated. It's considerate asking what people want, really.
2. Buy Classics.
In the sorry event that you are unable to find out what your victim is looking for, a classic is never a bad idea. Austen, Shakespeare, Orwell, Verne, Dickens, Tolstoy all those names your literature teacher went misty eyed about are good and should be part of any self-respecting Book Lover's library. Even if the author in and of itself does not suit our tastes (I hate Dickens with a ne'er-ending passion) it still looks good on our shelf, and we ought to read it anyway. Got to keep up with our general education, ya know? Just make sure you don't get us something we already have. Nobody likes to be given Oliver Twist for Christmas two years in a row.
3. Buy a gift-certificate
Lazy and unimaginative? You betcha. A Safe card? Yes. Does it beat random 4 for 3 pocket offers? Always.
And since I'm quite certain someone will come along and assume this is a plea for people to buy me books I will just go ahead and say that it's not.
This has been a Public Service announcement, feel free to print and put it on your refrigerator come future birthdays and Christmas -07.
posted by M | 8:39 pm
3 Comments:
Agreed. However, and I must admit, most of my relatives refuse to purchase books for me. This is why: I'll finish them within the next few days. And as most of the people who get me books do not realize, perhaps due to not being a connoisseur of books, there is a certain reread value inherent in all books.
This reread value is what tends to slake the thirst of the bookseekie among us as well as heightening the value of a book. Some would think that this quality lends to a smaller library of under 500 books, while in my experience I believe that it also works quite well within a 1500-2500 books range. Also small, but substantially more.
That is quite true, I've never really had that specific problem though, so I didn't think about including it.
It is however, something that really puzzles me, I love to reread books. My brother and my dad never understands why. "You already know what's going to happen" and it's just not possible to explain the pleasure of rereading a book in a way they understand.
It shames me to say that not only have I fallen victim to the travesty of misgiven books, but I usually read them. Right the way through. Or until I can't drive my eyes across the page anymore and put it on a shelf, never to look at again.
But even those are better than my Grandma's efforts: children's bible stories, nearly every year, well into my second decade of life, until she finally defaulted back to Maltesers.
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