The “Why do I hoard more books than I could possibly read?” commentary by Chris Vognar on Aug. 5 hit home. Many years ago I started picking up adventure books for teens that I had read back in the ’40s or so. It got to be adventure stories from the ’30s as well and subject matters expanded to what looked like good reference material. Eventually I got stacks of boxed books in my attic that I will never read at 89.
Some years back I started finding libraries and museums who might have an interest in them. I’ve given Maine books to the State Library and local historical societies, boxes of aircraft books to air museums, military books to the Maine Armed Forces Museum at Camp Keyes, illustrated books to the Norman Rockwell Museum, etc. I even gave an 1873 burlap covered novelty comic book to the Library of Congress that they didn’t have. (As a former history museum director, I have given books & artifacts to well over a dozen museums and libraries around the country.)
If you have more books than you can read, and can’t find someone who would like to add them to their collection, you can donate them to various institutional book sales or even put interesting ones online. Some are valuable. Some even ask great prices in antiques malls. And as a last resort, particularly if they are not in great condition, they make good stove wood.
Harvey Versteeg
Augusta
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