[ 3 / biz / cgl / ck / diy / fa / ic / jp / lit / sci / vr / vt ] [ index / top / reports ] [ become a patron ] [ status ]
2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/lit/ - Literature

View post   
File: 42 KB, 466x466, books.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
13538143 No.13538143 [Reply] [Original]

Have you ever visited a friend only to find that his library is stuffed with the vilest versions of the greatest books ever written? Last night I was at some guy with whom I have before encounter engaged in intellectual discourse regarding various subjects. However, his books were all the cheapest available on the planet and it was showing: Penguin paperbacks, Barnes & Noble, Everyman's Library; one big, disgusting gamut of distasteful dead tree. The fellow even appeared to be proud of his display of gaudy fake leatherbounds and broken spines, not realizing he looked like a broke bum. If you want to do justice and give high quality literature the respect it deserves, you not only read it without rushing, but, naturally, also have the work in attractive material.

Pic-related is how a decent library looks like.

>> No.13538151

>>13538143
pseud

>> No.13538153

>>13538143
I’m glad I don’t know you and don’t have to spend time with you.

>> No.13538156

>Muh leather books
FUCK OFF PSEUD

>> No.13538159

great bait

>> No.13538178

>not having a bookshelf almost primarily made out penguin paperbacks
Cringe

>> No.13538183

>being this materialistic
Wanna know how I know that you’re a woman?

>> No.13538187

>>13538143
Cool, a bunch of worm-ridden encyclopedias full of articles about 1850s era opticks.

>> No.13538217

You guys are such faggots about your bookshelves.
>A bookshelf must be comprised of ONLY books you have already read
>A bookshelf must be comprised of books that show physical signs of having been read
>A bookshelf must be comprised of books that have been taken care of
>A bookshelf must be comprised of books exclusively of the lowest quality or exclusively of the highest quality
>A bookshelf must be comprised of books of at least a certain level of artistic integrity
>A bookshelf must never contain any genre fiction or guilty pleasure
surely you realize that these shallow, insecure, arbitrary rules you've put together for yourself serve no functional purpose whatsoever. They just exist to give you a fleeting sense of superiority that quickly turns into anxiety as you fail to reconcile with the fact that there will always be someone more intelligent, more well-read, more respectable than you.

>> No.13538226

the bait is exceptional today sir!

>> No.13538228
File: 44 KB, 550x630, 1563727004778.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
13538228

Speaking of libraries, I've notived one or two very small white bugs near my desk recently, how fucked am I

>> No.13538246
File: 124 KB, 490x348, image.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
13538246

>>13538228
did they look like this

>> No.13538255

>>13538143
>people should read more
>people should read more good books
>people should read more good books and acquire them in expensive editions and formats
there's never an end, is it, faggots?

>> No.13538257

>>13538246
Luckily no, definitely did not have those appendages at the back.

I've been buying lots of second-hand books in the last months, I really should check them thoroughly before lumping them together with the others next time

>> No.13538258

>>13538143
You can only get those books in the picture second hand.

>> No.13538270

>>13538258
>>13538255
Just buy second-hand proper books with only minimal wear.

>> No.13538291
File: 384 KB, 950x632, image.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
13538291

>>13538257
Check for damage like this. Store books in a non-humid environment. Use ebooks

>> No.13538294

>>13538143
>visited a friend
Where do you think you are?

>> No.13538309

Fucking disgusting. People who read literature in leather bound copies just for the sake of it are missing the point of reading. You are a narcissist and a psued

>> No.13538436

>>13538291
Cheers, will check. If only e-ink was polychrome

>> No.13538475

>>13538309
So you're allowed to appreciate the art of literature but you aren't allowed to appreciate the art of book-binding?

>> No.13538476

>>13538294
In a homosexual bath house, apparently.

>> No.13538775

There's nothing wrong with wanting to have nice things, but some people really only care about the story.
That said, being proud of shitty editions is going to cause anyone some second-hand embarrassment.

>> No.13538791

>leather bound
>no scholarly introduction, footnotes, or general critical apparatus

Alright mate

>> No.13538828

>>13538775
maybe they're proud of the things they read and you think they're proud of the editions, like a typical vapid and superficial cunt.

>> No.13538834

>>13538143
7/10 if bait, 1/10 if autism

>> No.13538887

>>13538246
i always see these little guys in my bathroom floor. what are they?

>> No.13538989

>>13538887
silverfish
https://www.orkin.com/other/silverfish

>> No.13539260

>>13538143
Pretty sure this is bait.

>> No.13539424
File: 1.10 MB, 1848x2500, IMG_1099edit.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
13539424

>>13538143
Silly bait. Most of the world's books simply aren't available in fine editions, even if you have the large amount of money required to only purchase them that way. Of course you could go the Victorian route and have everything custom-bound in matching leather for your shelves, but that's a pipe dream unless you're very wealthy. I love the look of a fine edition case, but I'll take my low-class library instead: ten times the reading for less money, a much wider range of literature, and filled with books I can comfortably read and carry.

>> No.13539442
File: 75 KB, 748x900, gigachad.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
13539442

>>13538143
>Caring about anything besides the information in the book
That's how I know you are a virgin pseud.

>> No.13539452

>>13538887

I seem them too. They're harmless, I've had them for years in small amounts

>> No.13539493
File: 42 KB, 300x337, thumb_ernest-khalimov-gigachad-know-your-meme-53060342.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
13539493

why yes, i only read books available for free on internet, how could you tell?

>> No.13539540

>>13538217
>surely you realize
takes a lot for most

>> No.13539554

>>13539424
>Joyce Carol Oates
library status: invalid

>> No.13539663

>>13539554
Spare me, kid. Nobody gives a shit about your taste either.

>> No.13539673

>>13539663
You have Cheever, Faulkner, and most of Nabokov's novels so you're based but JCO is a cunt who said Faulkner was a misogynist and her novels are mediocre dogshit at best.

>> No.13539682

>>13538217
Exactly

>> No.13539694

>>13538217
>there's always a bigger fish
wow so deep bro

>> No.13539838

>>13539554
I was looking for James Joyce, A Christmas Carol, and Hall & Oates.

>> No.13539867

>>13538887
silver fishy
slippy slippy
who's gonna get that
cheeky fishy

>> No.13539891

>>13538143
>Last night I was at some guy with whom I have before encounter

Where did you meet, Grindr?

>> No.13539914

>>13538143
It's sad that so few people have love for damaged books. Why care as long as it is in good enough condition to be read?
I'd gladly take two books at a half price rather than one at full price.
Expensive books are for special occasions, like birthdays, limited editions, a book that you noticed at the library and just HAD to buy, something like that.

>> No.13539998

>>13538246
tell me the truth,
this fuckers eats paper from books or not?
;_;

>> No.13540063

>>13539998

I am pretty sure they just eat the glue holding the book together and only if it is vegetable or organic based glue, which older books have.

>> No.13540163
File: 27 KB, 787x616, silverfish.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
13540163

>>13538887

>> No.13540286

>>13539673
To be honest, she's written some old stories I enjoyed, but I haven't read most of the Oates there (picked them up for a dollar each at the library book store). It's like the Palahniuk: I read one, a friend suggested others, so I picked them up on speculation. I sometimes dispose of a stack of an author once I've had a chance to actually go through more of them (like Anita Shreve, Paulo Coelho, and Annie Proulx: at various points I had stacks of their novels and eventually decided they weren't worth the time, so back to the library or thrift stores they went. I like to have a selection of unread books around for any mood.

>> No.13541357

>>13538775
Are the texts themselves afflicted or only the appearance? I have the bargain illiad and oddesy when I couldve had both be part if a set I own. I constantly consider completing the set and donating the cheaper although newer print.

>> No.13541440

>>13538887
Silverfish, eater of books.

>> No.13541471

>>13538143
>whom I have before encounter engaged in intellectual discourse regar
stop using the fucking thesaurus and just talk like a person. Nobody thinks you're intelligent, just a smug asshole.

>> No.13541832

>>13538217
based
/lit/ psueds hate the truth

>> No.13541895

>>13538143
vanity is a sin

>> No.13542037

Learn to write before trying to pull off pseudism.

>> No.13542048

>>13538143
I read pdfs on the cheapest smartphone available
I do have hundreds of physical books, but even the nice leatherbound ones I received as gifts are broken and covered in paint among other more unpleasant substances

>> No.13542070

>>13538143
>Everyman's Library

They are actually really good quality for what they cost. Decent binding, pretty good paper, and they're hardcover to boot.

>> No.13542096

>>13538291
that looks badass. how do i get this on all my books?

>> No.13542112

>>13538153
Based

>> No.13542145

>>13542037
>distasteful dead tree
He gave it a shot.

>> No.13542147

I don't think I've ever met anyone that had a bookshelf

>> No.13542233

>>13542147
They're good set pieces in film.

>> No.13542280

>>13538143
>is how a decent library looks like.
*How a decent library looks
*what a decent library looks like

Fucking pick one, and never use "how it looks like" ever again you fucking disgusting pleb.

Criticise others for not having the money to get leather-bound editions of all their books, when you make one of the easiest and most common mistakes I see brainlets and non-native speakers do all the time.

>> No.13543700

Thanks for all the bites; it was good fishing. What do you mean with 'pseud' btw?

>> No.13543724

>>13538143
>Last night I was at some guy with whom I have before encounter engaged in intellectual discourse regarding various subjects.
...What?

>> No.13543859

>>13539424
Popcorn ceiling, blue walls, borders bookstore transplanted to your shelves.
Not sure if serious.

>> No.13543895

>>13538183
Oh please! this isn't only women

>> No.13543915

>>13543895
T.woman

>> No.13543920

>>13538143
>>13538151
It's not even pseudery, it's pure soi
Fetishizing physical books is the epitome of soi
>>13539493
Weird how people like to state the obvious on /lit/,
>>13538217
Truth.

>> No.13543981

>>13538143
>some guy with whom I have before encounter engaged in intellectual discourse regarding various subjects
This post was clearly bait but I genuinely know people who think like this and type like this.
Literature was a mistake.

>> No.13544179

Why own a library when you can just go to the library?

>> No.13544459
File: 1.20 MB, 2134x2667, IMG_1102edit.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
13544459

>>13543859
Serious? I have thousands of good books, and a comfy library to read them in. The ceiling doesn't bother me.

>> No.13545084

>>13538143
weird flex, and NOT OK.

but >>13538159

>> No.13545355

>>13544179
So that you no longer have to go to the library.

>> No.13545459

>>13544459
aesthetically horrific shelf

>> No.13545461

>>13544459
Eh, wait til you get in a brawl over Cheever's alleged homosexuality and scrape your fingers all to fuck on that ceiling. Plus a shelf of that size should have at least 2 1/2 feet of manga or you're trying too hard.

>> No.13545758

>>13545461
Why would there be manga on it? And the ceiling is too high for me to reach, so I'm safe.

>> No.13545813
File: 730 KB, 1836x2500, IMG_1094edit.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
13545813

>>13545459
Whatever you say, anon. I like them, and I chose the blue as well. I was tired of dark shelves and walls. So this is my library. What, pray tell, does yours look like?

>> No.13546101

>>13539424
>>13544459
AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY EYEEEEEEEESSSSS

>> No.13546125

You didn't put out because of the quality of his books? that's harsh but understandable

>> No.13546143

>>13546101
No idea what's shocking your delicate sensibilities, anon.

>> No.13546303

>>13545758
I dunno, I just wanted to ride the petty nitpicking of your eminently sensible shelves train like everyone else in this thread. Your library looks like it belongs to someone who actually enjoys reading and has developed their own actual taste. I bet you like Pogo, got any Pogo? Oh yeah, and if you can't reach the ceiling, how did all those Peanuts books get up there?

>> No.13546560

>>13546303
I have lots of old Pogo, and am avidly collecting the ongoing hardcovers (Fantagraphics used the money from the Peanuts complete set to finance a complete Pogo set). The bookcases are seven feet high, so I just use a small stepladder I have around the library to get to the top books.

>> No.13546577

>>13546560
I have some of those Fantagraphics and they are handsome. It seems like they're just the daily strips, and I wish someone would collect all the weird ephemera as well, I would really like to read those mother goose and hard boiled stories in a book that wasn't pushing 60 years old and losing pages every time I pick it up.

>> No.13546691

>>13546577
I know what you mean, but keep an eye out on amazon. There's been a few good reprints lately of his ephemera, and more coming along. Somebody will have to reprint Stepmother Goose, etc., someday.
Hermes Press is doing Walt Kelly’s Pogo the Complete Dell Comics, and vol. 6 is coming out next week (reprinting Pogo stories from Animal Comics, Four Color Comics, and Pogo Possum). For non-Pogo Kelly art, IDW made a big hardcover of Walt Kelly's Fairy Tales (which I got), and Dark Horse did a hardcover of Walt Kelly's Fables and Funnies (more Dell Comics reprints). Hermes also has Walt Kelly's Peter Wheat the Complete Series vol. 1 out, and a second due some time (delayed). Fantagraphics collected his Our Gang strips in four volumes a few years back.

>> No.13546723

>>13544179
The library is great when they have what you’re looking for. When you wanna expand beyond an authors’ one or two famous books, most people gotta take things into their own hands.

>> No.13546745

>>13546723
Exactly. Our local libraries are sad beyond belief when it comes to literature or older works. I find much better stuff going through their bookstore than through the actual library shelves.

>> No.13546786

>>13541440
I see one every now and then. I didn't know they eat paper. Time to eradicate them.

>> No.13547116

>>13538143
I like Easton Press and Folio Society, bought Fight Club and Neuromancer from Easton Press a few days ago.
I love physical copies

>> No.13547123

>>13538291
>Use ebooks
No

>> No.13547137

>>13544459
What kind of shelf is that or did you make it yourself?

>> No.13547328
File: 8 KB, 299x169, 1563961427812.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
13547328

>>13544179

>> No.13547332

I exclusively buy used/damaged books.

>> No.13547338

>>13538143
>tfw I have a shelf of Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics and probably a dozen or so Everyman copies of various other books in other bookshelves.

Though the Barnes and Noble books have largely been given as gifts by people coming to visit (they see a few, and then they go 'oh i'll bring him one of those books as a gift next time I come over' and then they multiply, and I would feel guilty if I got rid of them).

Don't really understand the Everyman hate though.

>> No.13547342

>>13547116
I recently bought a 4 volume set of Plutarch's Lives from Folio Society, and only after they arrived in the mail did I realize that they arranged them chronologically instead of pairing the Greek and Roman lives the way Plutarch had intended. Upsetting, and I'll probably never buy another Folio Society edition of anything again. Also, they look pretty gaudy.

>> No.13547375

>>13542096
Store them in a warm, damp environment. It also helps if they are at least a century old, since >>13540063