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| Many of you indicate that you have quite a few garden books. How do you organize them, where do you keep them? As time goes by I acquire (and want) more and more and am loathe to part with any. How have you solved this dilemma? Also, what plans have you made for your garden book collections when you go to the great beyond? Cath |
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| I've bought a larger, glass door book case to supplement the smaller one I started with so I could unpack the boxed books. What to do with them when I can no longer handle them? Part of that is being done now by giving the ones I find myself not "needing" as much to people I feel might enjoy and benefit from them. Should something require being done with the remainder sooner than I hope, that's a bridge I'll have to figure out when the time comes. Most libraries, societies, etc. honestly don't want them, unfortunately. They don't have any less of a space issue than we do. Kim |
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- Posted by Kippy-the-Hippy 10 Sunset 24 (My Page) on Thu, Nov 14, 13 at 22:27
| Can one really have too many garden books? My suggestion for what to do with books when the time comes to downsize, assuming no family member is interested, is to find a cause or group you like that holds a rummage sale and donate to them. If you know some of the books are more valuable, note that to the organization. Some have great people pricing them, others not so much. Personally, my book spending budget is minimal at best. But I love going to a couple of different rummage sales just because I know I can get my gardening book fix fulfilled for something I can afford. |
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- Posted by mariannese 5b (My Page) on Fri, Nov 15, 13 at 5:18
| I have over 400 garden books, 70 of them about roses only. Some were given me to review, many were bought secondhand. They are in Swedish, English, German, French, Danish and Norwegian. I keep them in the bedroom, the only place left in the house. They cover eight shelves. I have started to cull them and give away some to the garden societies I belong to for use as prizes in raffles. Gardening friends have had some books of special interest to them. I am fairly sure that my children will not want many of my books, perhaps none, and am thinking of willing away most of them to the agricultural university that has a landscaping department. Only one book is valuable, a rare Swedish book printed in 1754. I may sell that and a few others. |
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- Posted by jacqueline3 9CA (My Page) on Fri, Nov 15, 13 at 19:08
| Re disposing of books - if they are rare, I would offer them to the Heritage Rose Foundation library, or equivalent. In our town, we have no trouble about what to do with other unwanted books - there is a non-profit called "Friends of the SR Library". It is not affiliated with the public library, but has a store a block away where they sell donated books, CDs, DVDs, etc. All of the profits go to the City library. Other towns in my county have the same thing - yours might too. Jackie |
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| I have already offloaded several hundred garden books to my local agricultural college - I am down to a hardcore list of 200 or thereabouts - mostly single plant monographs such as my treasured Lynch and Lewis on Campanulas.....or the Yeo's on Hardy Geraniums or stuff like Flowers of the Mediterranean by Oleg Polunin (a goodie for you, Melissa) and the Rix and Philips series. Horrendously, I find myself still buying more (3 just this past week). |
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- Posted by harborrose 8-Puget Sound/PNW (My Page) on Mon, Nov 18, 13 at 2:03
| Cath, I keep my gardening books on a Target bookshelf in the hallway outside my bedroom so they are close to me. I haven't room in my bedroom, which is where I have a discarded wooden table for a desk and the upper part of a castaway hutch for a small bookshelf on one end. The gardening books are organized by how I stuffed them onto the shelves. This is unhandy if I am in a hurry to find something. But most of the time I enjoy perusing the shelves to look at the titles as I am in no hurry usually to find whatever-it-is. I never mind buying books or feel guilty as 1) I buy them used for pennies plus postage most of the time and 2) reading and gardening are my main sources of entertainment so I look at buying books as just investing in my own education and interests. Some people love shoes or red wine; I buy books. A lot of us are like this, Cath. The gardening books I'm currently reading, the drawing books, laptop, pencils, oddly shaped cream colored baby pumpkin, stapler, music cd's, a paper six-pack container for Blue Moon Pale Ale turned into a home for my colored pencils, and a sturdy pencil sharpener all jockey for room on my desk. When I'm finished the books go back onto the bookshelf in whatever spot is open. I'd class my garden, gardening books and all the rest of our library of books and music in the same category as my favorite sweaters and MacKissic chipper shredder. Sentimental value: a little perhaps to my children who have their own interests and burgeoning libraries to deal with. Monetary value: little to none. I worked in estate settlement for a bank for awhile and spent time cleaning out the homes of people who had died and left the bank as their trustee. So many things people had that they treasured but were of no value to their families. It gave me a good perspective on what people leave behind and how little in importance any of it really is. Since I buy books for my own amusement and education, I don't expect anyone else to really think what I enjoyed during my life is of importance. But if the Antique Rose Forum is still around when I get ready to meet my Creator, I might start giving them away here. I hope new rosies continue to show up here and this place continues. Or I guess I could donate them to my library's used book sales, but giving them away here might be more fun. |
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| Your replies have been thoughtful and thought provoking. I appreciate them very much. They show people who value the things in life that are truly valuable. Cath |
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- Posted by melissa_thefarm NItaly (My Page) on Mon, Nov 18, 13 at 12:22
| My garden books, like our other reference works, live down in the living room, where it's warm and they're handy for easy consultation (the family library is up in the music room). Apparently I'm not as diligent a collector and reader of garden books as many folks on this forum, as mine fit easily on eight feet of shelf. They're organized roughly by subject matter: rose books together, tree books together, belles lettres together, and so on. I cull them out occasionally, getting rid of books I rarely read and find of little use. Disposing of unwanted books in Italy has been rather a trial, as this country doesn't have the web of stores for used articles that are so helpful in the U.S. I had actually been reduced to carrying them back to Florida for the local Friends of the Library book sale (extremely popular, and they really keep the books circulating as well as raising money for the library) but thank the Lord I have finally found a public library here that accepts books for their collection and fundraising book sales. They're fine with the works in foreign languages. None of my library has any particular monetary value, and I hope DD won't have to worry about disposing of it for many years to come. I'm like Gean, gardening and reading are my entertainment (and the garden is my creative endeavor). And like her I usually buy my books inexpensively and get a lot of use out of them, particularly since I re-read books, and since they don't wear out or go out of fashion. I've been thinking about this again, as the dark time of year is starting here and I'll be reading a lot for the next two or three months. What a bargain books are. What a precious resource. Melissa |
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