Bibliomania: Eight Ways to Avoid It: A Lover of Books Is Never Alone

Why should a busy pastor or student collect books? The question would have astonished the fourteenth-century Richard de Bury. “All the glories of the world,” he once declaimed, “would be buried in oblivion, unless God had provided mortals with the remedy of books.”

The response of others would be more pragmatic: those who work with ideas or problems need to have access to information that can be used. All right, but how do you embark on a library building program? Here are some suggestions for the aspiring bibliophile.

1. Have an overall plan. In deciding on the purpose of the library, we obviously cannot have everything, but this should be no discouragement. A coherent plan of action will direct the building of a significant and usable collection within the limits set by the owner. What, then, is the purpose of the library?

Will it be a specialized working library? Here the pastor should choose some area, Old Testament archaeology, for example, and ask, How can I answer my questions about this subject? He will seek scholarly books and articles (or interesting Sunday school lessons). He will not need first editions or tooled leather bindings. Good sound copies (which are also far cheaper) will do. Scarcer works could even be ratty copies that could later be rebound.

Will it be a basic reference library? Here one is looking for standard works from many categories. Dictionaries, lexicons, standard commentaries, and surveys will supply the need. From these the pastor can answer most questions asked of him, even if he cannot answer all of his own questions in an area of special interest.

Will it be for private use only or for others as well? This is something to be faced early. If one is going to lend books freely, then multiple copies of some works will be needed. Hardbacks are preferable: they stand up to abuse better than paperbacks. If books are used for display in lectures (early Bibles, say), then condition becomes an important consideration. We can read a tattered volume, but we would not want to display it.

Will it include a highly personalized section of very special interest? This could be anything, of course. In my case, it is searching for the earliest possible editions of epoch-making New Testament works, such as J. A. Bengel’s Gnomen Novi Testamenti (1743), J. G. Wettstein’s Novum Testamentum (1751–52), or R. Bultmann’s Jesus (1926). What one does here depends on the interest and ingenuity of the person.

Will it be with a view to investment or simply usability? If investment is in view, then antiquarian books come into focus, as well as specialized knowledge of books, as such, not just their usability. Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress can be bought from any bookstore for use; but try to locate an early edition! That becomes another matter. A person might want to combine some of the above to suit his or her particular needs: specialized in one area, general in another, investment in another, current paperbacks in another. But whatever you do, have a plan that makes sense to you.

2. Acquaint yourself with sources of supply. Some people quit before they even start, because they do not know where to begin. Once a person has defined his areas he needs to find out where to purchase his books. This is easier than it might seem. Look at it this way. Book publishers and book dealers are in the business of selling books. If you are interested in buying, they are interested in you. There are over 1,700 publishers listed in-Religious Books and Serials in Print 1978–1979, any of whom would be glad to send catalogs to prospective buyers. Book Dealers in North America and A Directory of Dealers in Second-Hand and Antiquarian Books in the British Isles list thousands of book stores, any of which would love to sell you books. There are also journals, magazines, and specialized publications, all of which are devoted to the selling of new and used books. Once you decide what you want to do, go to your nearest library (public or seminary) and ask some questions of the librarians. They spend their lives buying books and can direct you to the sources of supply.

3. Be a discriminating buyer. The number of religious books available is staggering. Religious Books and Serials in Print 1978–1979 lists 47,000 books. These are mainly in English. If one were to add foreign language titles, the total would probably top 100,000 religious books in print today. Add to that used books for sale, and the figure is enormous. The big question is obviously, Which ones do I buy? I have no easy answer. It is easier to find the books for sale than to decide what to buy. Good direction can, however, be found by looking in the right places. Here are a few:

a. Go to a theological library. Look at the books for yourself. Note those that appeal to you.

b. Check the indices of works in a given area and see which are referred to most. Clearly if a dozen books all rely heavily on another book, you should buy the one on which they have drawn.

c. Check the actual use of books by looking at the library card. If no one else is reading the book, why should you?

d. Ask some friendly theology professor (and which one isn’t?) what he thinks. Perhaps he has a few standard bibliographies he could spare.

e. Read the book review sections of Christian magazines and theological journals.

f. Ask people who know books (dealers, librarians, teachers, etc.) what they read or recommend.

g. Read the trade magazines—but do it with discrimination.

h. Learn the names of authors you trust or enjoy reading, and look for them—and see what books they used when writing.

i. Acquaint yourself with annotated bibliographies, such as: Cyril J. Barber’s The Minister’s Library (1974, Baker) and its Periodic Supplement #1 (1976) and Periodic Supplement #2 (1978) and the bibliographical pamphlets available from Theological Students Fellowship, 233 Langdon, Madison, WI 53703.

Remember, a book is only good if it serves a purpose. After you have worked out your plan and found out where to buy the books, buy those that fit in. It will be “good” only if it is actually used. If no one ever looks at it, you might as well never have bought it.

4. Set yourself realistic goals. Book-oriented people are often maligned as impractical and out-of-touch. The very word “bookish” connotes dusty rooms and stooped shoulders. But we bibliophiles can be realistic in our better moments and follow some sensible principles. Take the following, for example:

a. Remember your financial situation. Books can be very expensive; only money that is not needed elsewhere should be spent. The joy of owning a perfect copy of Westcott’s Commentary on John could be spoiled if your car runs out of gas halfway home and you are broke because you bought the book.

b. Remember your family. Books are your friends, but your husband or wife is an even better friend. Do not embark on any long-range projects without first getting the approval of everyone who has some stake in you and your time. You might think that rummaging in used book stores on your vacation is fun, but your family might not. You could solve this, of course, by marrying a librarian, but even librarians have to eat.

c. Do not become preoccupied with your books. Life still has to be lived. If your book collecting becomes an obsession, perhaps you had better take up fishing. No one should suffer because of an excessive concern for books.

d. Do not try to buy everything all at once. Set out some attainable goals and strive to reach them. In this way you will have a feeling of progress, rather than a feeling of frustration at not owning everything. There will always be something you did not buy, so don’t let it worry you.

5. Do not forget the physical facilities. Books should be used. That means they will have to be within reach. Nothing is worse than to have a book and not be able to find it because it is buried somewhere in the attic. Calculate first how much space you have, how you want to arrange your books, how accessible they have to be, who needs to get to them. Then start filling the shelves. Try to have an appropriate place for them as well. No one likes to see stacks of books in the dining room or the hall. Ideally, one should have a study or library where the books could be arranged for maximum use.

6. Keep up your spirit of adventure. Do not let your books become a burden. Try to keep the larger perspective. Think what a thrill it is to have on your shelves the works that changed the world—that the thoughts of Luther or Bunyan or Wesley are available for our guidance today. Or if you ever get bored or feel persecuted, take down a missionary biography or learn about the Huguenots.

Let your book buying become a part of you. You will never grow weary of it, and it will provide you with a well-stocked larder of tales to tell. Like the time I was walking in London’s Euston Road and observed some planks laid over a couple of sawhorses covered by a tarpaulin. Attached was an improbable note: “BOOKS: BE BACK AT 11:00.” Who could resist something like that? It turned out to be a large assortment of rare antiquarian theology books, among other things. I found there a first edition of N. Hemmingsen, Commentaria in Omnes Epistolas (1562) that could be unique. Not even the British Museum has a copy.

There are horror stories too. In a large city in northwest England, searching about in the dingy basement of a book store, I saw in the sooty half-light a very rare seventeenth-century leather-bound set. When I tried to take a volume out, it broke in half vertically because the other half was rotted to the grimy wall. Thousands of books were ruined in that basement. You also meet wonderful people with whom friendships frequently develop. As Emerson put it, “It is a tie between men to have read the same book.” I have found book store owners to be among the most helpful of all tradespeople. Make the most of it all.

7. Share the blessings with others. When I first began collecting over twenty years ago, kindly people gave me duplicates to get started, and I have never forgotten this. I can still remember the books thus acquired. Do the same to others. If you see a scarce book and you already have it, buy it anyway, if it is a good price. Then give it away as a present. You will never know what good will come of it.

Lending is another matter, however. These books are wanted back, and that puts them in a different category. Use your judgment here and lend only to reliable people. Keep a record of what was lent, and when you want it back. Even then, try to be philosophical about it when you lose a book or two. It happens to everyone. Perhaps a good rule to follow is to lend only those books you would not mind losing.

8. Do not forget to read the books. This is what they are for. If they go unread, they should have remained unbought. Let the wisdom to be found in the books you own become a part of your life. If the answers to the questions people ask are simply buried on your shelves, then the whole purpose of building a library is defeated. It is living in poverty when the wealth of a thousand scholars is languishing unused within your reach.

There is a great satisfaction about seeing a good library develop over the years. It is not only valuable for a person’s ministry, it can become a significant part of his life. The man who loves books is ultimately never alone.

G. Douglas Young is founder and president of the Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem. He has lived there since 1963.

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