Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Tuesday Thingers...or how Library Thing saved my life.


It's Tuesday, so let's see what other feature of Library Thing there is that I am not familiar with! Today's question, via The Boston Bibliophile is
Work multiples. Do you own multiple copies of any books? Which ones? Why? Can you share your list?

Do I?...why yes I do have a few. Several of them, like Dante's Divine Comedy, are part of a partial set of 1909 Harvard Classics that were my grandfather's. But to tell you the truth, I have never read those copies. The covers are a little fragile, so when I have wanted to read a book that I might have in that edition, I just bought another copy. The same is true of a partial set of Dickens that were once his. So, I have some dups there as well. I mean, you NEED several copies of A Christmas Carol...right?

Then there are a few listed that are a mistake. I mean LT's mistake not mine, which we will discuss in a moment. I notice that they list Part 1 and Part 2 of a few books, like Bleak House and Our Mutual Friend from the above mentioned Dickens set, as duplicates, which they are not. I will have to see about fixing that.

Then there are another set of books that I intended to buy two copies of. On occasion, I might have bought a paperback copy of a book and then wanted to have a 'nicer' copy because I liked the book so much. I admit it...I have a 'thing' about owning nice hardcover editions of some books. Take Lord of the Rings..I have the original paperback set that I bought and first read when I was a teenager. But Lord of the Rings is such a great book..or books...that they deserved better. So for years, I eyed the lovely Easton Press editions. Beautiful leather covers, acid free paper, gold edged pages...and one day I overcame my cheapness and bought them. But I still have an attachment to the old paperbacks...

And then there is the third group...happily a small group. They are the mistakes. They are the reason I first joined LT. They are the reason that I love LT.
Brideshead Revisted is my worse example. See, it is a book that I have always meant to read but have not yet. It is in the pile next to the TBR pile. So, one day I was reading an online discussion about Brideshead and thought "Hmmm..I should buy a copy of that!" So off I went to a bookstore...always a fun journey...and bought a very nice hardcover copy...came home to put it on my shelf...only to realize I already owned the exact same edition already!!
My books were out of control! I had no organization, no way of knowing what I owned. And then Library Thing came to my rescue and we have lived happily ever after since...

Ok, I am a book addict. I admit it. ;-)

14 comments:

  1. I don't blame you for wanting to keep the older ones intact by not reading them. I would do the same! There are ways you can read fragile books to make sure they don't get damaged, but it's easier and safer to go out and buy a cheap paperback copy.

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  2. I feel the same way about the older ones - I've got a few that I don't want to receive any more wear-and-tear! I've purchased duplicates of those so I can read them.

    :) Wendi

    Here's my Thinger!

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  3. some books are just so much more than the printed words on a piece of paper

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  4. Caite, I totally don't blame you for buying extra copies of the fragile books that once belonged to your grandfather - I'd do the same thing. Those books are priceless!

    Shana
    Literarily

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  5. I love the title of your post!

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  6. But it is true! The chaos was driving me mad! lol

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  7. LT has not only discovered by duplicate copies, but also saved me as well from buying extra copies. It's a great little program!

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  8. One of the blessings of LT! Like you, I figured LT would be great for avoiding unintended duplication and for the most part, it's been very helpful. I still falter sometimes--and then try to give the extra copies away as soon as possible (although not always).

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  9. Wonderful treasures, those books from your grandfather; you can be forgiven the duplicate copies you bought :)

    I've discovered unintended duplicates in my library, thanks to LT. I may uncover more as I keep logging ...

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  10. I had forgotten, but the oddest thing was that when I entered all my books on LT, I found that I had THREE COPIES of the same cheap, paperback edition of Edith Hamilton's Mythology.

    A nice book...but why would I have three copies??

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  11. I know, LT saved my life too! But then I got addicted...

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  12. I suspect I was an addict before. The pile of books was a clue...

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  13. Oh, sorry, I guess that was a bit cryptic. I was definitely addicted to book-buying before I met LT (I mean, found the site). But then I got addicted to LibraryThing. And then to book blogging. And yup it's 2:36 AM and here I am!

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  14. Who am I to talk since I am on my computer at 3 a.m. answering you.

    I see my addiction to LT as a secondary outgrowth of the book addiction...or so I tell myself at the moment.

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