| Books are without doubt my main hobby (obsession?). I enjoy collecting other things, but for me the last thing I would sell -- should misfortune strike -- would be my books. I started collecting books (and reading them, heh) very early in my life; in fact, I can't remember when I didn't have a book around. I guess it began with "Golden Books," "Babar," "The Hardy Boys." Sadly, I no longer have any of those. I didn't actually start collecting them until I -- like millions of others -- saw the cover art of Frazetta, Vallejo, Kelly, etc. I imagine that is why simply reading a book is not enough for me. I enjoy looking at books, browsing, maybe reading an introduction, then moving on. Books are not only a repository of ideas, plots, and people designed solely to provide vicarious experiences or illicit sympathetic/empathetic reactions, etc. Books are substantial, independent, existential. I'm no sloppy sentimentalist, but I sincerely believe that books are nothing less than the potential gray matter of humanity. |