Books on your bookshelf
 

I am going to assume that I am not the only person who buys some books for the sole purpose of having a nice bookshelf. Probably something to do with everyone wanting to at least appear smarter and more interesting than they actuall are.

Anyway, I recently picked up War and Peace (which I probably wont read, and will never, ever finish) just so I could put it next to Peace and War by Joe Haldeman. And I think I will get Down and Out in Paris just so I can have everything by George Orwell.

Anyone else do the same? It's sort of shameful, I know. Or, alternatively, what is the book on your shelf that you are proudest of owning. It still counts if you haven't read it.

Just don't burn them and all's cool ;)

I buy books that look interesting and will eventully read. I've had Faust part one for 4 years now and still haven't gotten a chance to read it. Sometime when Don Quixote is done I'll read it. Then onto 1001 nights.

I read both Do Quixote and 1001 nights. Great books. You should add to your shelf The collection of Sherlock Holmes and all 3 of Dante's Divine Comedy. You'll look even smarter.

I'll start with the inferno. I have the unabridged translation of Don quixote so some parts drag.

Inferno is great, purgatory is ok, heaven sucks and is soooo fucking boring :(

I always buy and never borrow books from a library because I intend on having a nice bookshelf someday, but I'll never buy a book I don't plan on reading.

Sherlock Hooooolmes.

Some of my Doyles are actually the only books on my shelf I haven't read, since I collect antique Holmes and prefer to read the cheap paperback versions.

i think the closest i get is "name of the rose" by umberto eco :(

My bookshelf has Cannery Row, Dante's Inferno, Grapes of Wrath, Night, High Treason, and one Garfield book (it was a gift, I didn't buy it >:) squeezed between the shitty horror rows and the Hunter S. Thompson section, both of which are squeezed between Asterix books and every Calvin and Hobbes/Far Side collection ever made

I'm a motherfucking intellectual

i dunno ;/ I have a lot of books but my favorites are by camus, dosteovsky, nietzsche, Phillip K Dick and Vonneguht.

I doubt many people buy encyclopedias anymore.

except the encyclopedia of numbers. http://timanderic.com/cinco.html

When I was a kid I used to just pull a book down from our encyclopedia collection and flip through it learning random things.

I remember doing that when I was 7 or 8 after all the dirty words were looked up.

Yeah, they should make an online Encyclopedia where you hit a random button and it brings up something.

If only it wasn't Wiki

Just uh....pretend it's not. Yep.

I had to think before I responded, but I can honestly say I've never bought a book that I didn't intend to read (and subequently read) unless I bought it as a gift for someone else. My bookshelf will be shitty and consist mostly of graphic novels :tear

My dad used to fill the shelves on the dresser in the living room with books he never intended on reading. He didn't go for quality though. He picked them by size and spine color.

My parents buy me a lot of books for Christmas or my birthday. I mean to read them, but I never get around to it.

My violin instructer filled his bookcase with stuff just to "look smart" (or so he told me). They had pretty weird titles too. I'd always read the titles when I got bored during the lesson. Some of them were "All Politics is Local", "Acupuncture without Needles", "Fire in the Belly", a large number of Yoga/fitness for Dummies books, and quite a few books by Faith Popcorn. I'd always wonder what on earth was in some of those books.

That's probably what I would do if I were to make myself a pretty bookcase. The amount of books show intellect while the uniformity says type a personality.

Of course I would always like to read everything I buy, but there's not always time... and there's always other things that keep popping up.

It doesn't hurt to collect them. You all make me feel like a poser. I've read most of them god damn it.

Kahl. I saw a few collections by Camus about a week ago and I think one by one I will put them on my shelf. Not only will they be awesome to read one day, but they will make me look super smart.

Oh, and I wish I had some Asterix books.

i got this awesome hardbound copy that has like 8 of his short stories and essays for 14 dollars ;o it has most of his famous stuff except the stranger.