When I refer to myself as a bookie, I don't mean I am going to take your bets on the latest sporting events. It means I love books. Not just reading books, but owning books. There is just something about a hardbound book; maybe its the flipping of pages, the weight of the paper, the book jacket and cover art. I don't know. But I have been collecting my favorite authors and favorite classics for years now.

 

Books come in all kinds of sizes and textures, with beautiful photos or illustrations, and inside each one is a piece of information, or a little entertainment to educate or exercise your imagination. My collection includes large, oversized coffee table books of castles and far off lands, leatherbound Shakespeare and classic collections, and of course your typical novel. Some use foils or varnishes, some use metallic or vellum papers, embossings or debossings, or even die-cuts. Each is a unique piece of art both inside and out. They are all special to me and I have read each one.

 

My love for books has of course turned me off to the popular holiday gift this past season: the Kindle. Don't get me wrong, I am not opposed to gadgets. I love them. But in this case, I just can't see myself enjoying my books while reading them on a scrolling page with no color or texture or feel except for that of the Kindle itself. And how can I enjoy them after they've been read if I can't scan my bookshelf and look at all the beautiful spines with their interesting typography and foil treatments, and fondly remember the escape they gave me as I curled up and read them.

 

No, in this case, technology is not for me.

 

In fact my latest wish is to acquire a leatherbound classic series I stumbled upon from Barnes and Noble. I actually already have some of the classics in other forms but these are so nicely done I just have to have them.