why do people showcase books that they have already read?

Question

whats the point in keeping books that you have already read? Why buy a book read it then put in on a shelve to look at.

Answer 1

Conversation starters....
One of my best friends who came to the city for a wedding was over at my place. She saw some of the books I have, and turns out she was reading/wanting to read some of them herself. Even being hundreds of kilometres away, and hardly ever chatting, we still have common ground.
You can't judge a book by it's cover, and this helps define who you are. If I were to walk into a persons house and saw theses books;
Map Of Bones, by James Rollins.
The Crytponomicron, or Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson.
Neverwhere, or American Gods, by Neil Gaiman.
Mind Hacks, by Tom Stafford and Matt Webb.
Night Watch, Thief Of Time, or Jingo, by Terry Pratchett.
The Ingenuity Gap, by Thomas Homer Dixon.
The Hobbit, or the L.O.T.R. series, by Tolkien.
The Harry Potter series, by Rowlings.
The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, by Adams.
Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell.
Velocity, by Dean Koontz.
I would be able to talk about them with that person, and would know that they too are well read people.
Or
If the person wants to barrow it, they can see that I have it. Lets not forget that if a person hasn't read it, but would like to know a bit about a book, they can see that I have it, and will be able to enquire about it. And You would not believe how many times books like The Ingenuity Gap have come in handy for referencing information.
CyberNara

Answer 2

It's just an ownership thing, the way some people buy DVDs of movies that they love. I used to feel this way about books -- had shelves and shelves of them. It was immensely satisfying to BUY the books and have them right there to pick up any time I wanted. Then I had kids and figured out that if I spent money on books, it would have to be on credit -- all our money went to diapers and formula and child care! So I rediscovered the library, and now I only buy books at Christmas (everybody gets me Barnes and Noble gift cards).

Answer 3

I keep the books I like so that I can go back and read them again, if I'm so inclined. Another reason is that, once I've read a book, I become attached to it. It's like the book is now a part of me, so I can't get rid of it. I also may keep them for reference. Usually if I don't like a book and don't think I'll ever need to look at it again, I take it to the used book store.

Answer 4

I only keep books that I really enjoyed and think will read again someday, except for reference books and books of history, mainly the Civil War and World War II.

I have a collection of books by 2 favorite authors and I've read most of them at least twice and some 7 or 8 times!

Other books that I acquire, I usually donate them to the Friends of the Library so they can re-sell them and use the proceeds to improve our library.

Answer 5

I love my books and I guess you can say collecting books is a hobby. I do a lot of re-reading and usually only buy ones that I've already borrowed from the library and liked a lot or books that I cannot get through the library

Answer 6

I keep books that I have already read because I often read them again. I have several books in my collection that I have read 4-5 times or more. If I enjoy a book why not keep it to re-read?

Why do some people showcase and keep dvds that they have already seen?...TO WATCH THEM AGAIN!

Answer 7

You keep them and display them so when someone comes over and sees the book and they make a comment, you can discuss it ot just hand it to them if they want to read it.

If you bought it and read it, you need to display it so someone else can read it too. I never worry about getting the book back, even if it was a good one. Because I know someone will benefit from reading it.

A good book should be traded around! And if you read a lot of romance novels, you should use a good used book trader shop!

Answer 8

If it was a really good book, the person might think they will read it again. Poetry books are very re-readable. I think some of us just have a packrat gene. I have a bookcase full of stuff I read against a large window. I like to think it makes good insulation. And in case I ever become independently wealthy, and have time to re-read stuff, I'll be all set. Maybe that is why. . .

Answer 9

What's the point of buying a DVD if you've already seen the movie? Some people read their books more than once.

Answer 10

I don't keep books to showcase them - I often reread books that I really like, particularly my history and historical fiction. There are people, though, that use books as a room accessory, like the carpet or the curtains. Odd...