Guilty Pleasures
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By Rebecca Cantrell
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What’s the guiltiest pleasure on my bookshelf?
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I’m vaguely guilty about all the stacks of books I have that won’t even fit onto my shelves, but not enough to give them top billing. Because, really, they’re just a sign that I will never catch up and read them all and where’s the pleasure in that? (I know, the pleasure is in the journey of reading the ones I do get to. Thank you, Mr. Zen.)
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The guiltiest pleasure on my bookshelf is my collection of newspapers from the 1930s. Here’s how it looks all tucked away nicely. It seems nice and safe and non-guilt inducing. And yet…
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First off, it cost more than my Spartan soul can justify. I got them mostly on e-bay, for a song, and they are tax-deductible because I use them to write my books. But still, I probably could have found scanned in versions online for free. Version that did not have the delightful scent of old newspaper and ink. Versions that did not feel smooth under my caressing fingertips. Versions that you couldn’t leaf through, just as the original subscriber did, eighty long years ago. Yes, pleasures of the eye and nose and hand won out over common sense. Guilty.
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Secondly, I worry that those priceless artifacts will be destroyed while under my protection. 
Much like the dining room table that has needed to be refinished for ten years. And don’t even get me started on the sorry condition of the chairs. Back to the bookshelf. Those newspapers are made of lovely old paper. And Kona eats paper. It covers it with mildew. It sends silverfishes scurrying in. It dispatches geckoes to poop on it. And I have recklessly brought those newspapers here.
Much like the dining room table that has needed to be refinished for ten years. And don’t even get me started on the sorry condition of the chairs. Back to the bookshelf. Those newspapers are made of lovely old paper. And Kona eats paper. It covers it with mildew. It sends silverfishes scurrying in. It dispatches geckoes to poop on it. And I have recklessly brought those newspapers here..
I try to keep them safe. I store them in a blue archival box recommended by a friend who sets up museum exhibits (nice job at the California Academy of Sciences, BTW, Pixie!). It’s acid free and protects against gecko poop and maybe silverfish.
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I have a dehumidifying box in there that has magic crystals that suck the moisture out of the air to protect the paper from mildew. But when I took the box down for these pictures, the indicator crystal had changed from friendly blue to poisonous pink.
It’s in the oven now, having the moisture backed out of it, but how long was it pink? What evil befell the newspapers during the weeks it might have sat there, flashing out a pink beacon of despair?
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I don’t know. But I know it’s all my fault.
Still, I think I will go re-read those newspapers one more time before they succumb…
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What’s YOUR guilty bookshelf pleasure?
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Ahh, for the opportunity to complain about topics like the ones you indulge in. There is virtually no span of history I find more interesting than the one you write about.
Unfortunately, my books seem to be limited to statistics these days.
But, I do write about interesting music.
Guilty pleasures are princely problems to have, I admit.
For some, statistics books might be a guilty pleasure…
Rebecca, (I just found this area): What happens to ebooks that a person purchases when the technology changes (which it will)? Will they still be able to access their purchase with their new technology or will they have to re-purchase? I have been saddened by the number of bookstores that have closed because of diminishing sales of physical books. We must now order from Amazon.com to purchase physical books, and we’d better continue to buy printed books or there will soon not be any to purchase. What will that do to libraries? Kent State library has already cleared out several floors of books and the space is now used for Math and English help, or as a gathering place for commuter students. I am seriously wondering what the future holds for printed books.
Hi Evelyn,
Great to see you over here! Right now, there are standardized formats that various readers can display (kindle, nook, etc.). I think that those will be supported by new devices going forward (although there’s no guarantee). I worry more about what happens if the company you buy from (such as Barnes & Noble) goes out of business. Who will take over hosting that content for the people who have already bought it? There’s no money in that, so it’s worrisome.
I think everyone wants to know what will happen to printed books going forward. I’ve heard lots of answers, but I don’t think anyone really knows. We lost the only big bookstore on the island last year and now have a small independent. I try to order through them whenever I can, because, once they’re gone, we lose that treasure for the whole community. And, if people can’t see books or browse books or talk about books, then…Well, I hope it doesn’t come to that.