All we are is meat telling itself a story. If we can write that story down, we've captured the most important part of being human. So all the books on the walls of my study are old friends to me - the best kind of old friends, old friends who don't grow tired of you, don't move away, don't get ill, and never die. If I feel down they're always there to cheer me up. If there's something I've forgotten they're always there to remind me of it. And if I grow inside and learn new insights they always have new things to tell me. I love my books, and I wouldn't part with a single one of them.

Of course I'm kind of fond of several pieces of meat too ... --PeterMerel

You must have a good instinct for buying books that will stand the test of time. I get rid of books occasionally, and indeed looking at my bookshelf now I'm seeing things like Java 1.0 in a Nutshell. I've tossed a bunch of novels this year too -- some books are just plain annoying! -- LukeGorrie

I also toss the stinkers. When I say "my books" I mean the good 'uns. But I was aiming to reply to YouArentGonnaReadIt, because I want my books on shelves within arm's reach, not days away by parcel-post. I don't think that makes me a bibliophile. I think it makes me wealthy. --PM

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''If we can write that story down, we've captured the most important part of being human.''

I could never agree with this, for any given medium: Prose, poetry, music, modern dance, etc., etc. Seems to me that all communication is imperfect (though useful). And if you focus too much time away from "the source", so to speak -- that is, contact with other people in this life -- you could lose a fairly important grasp of emotional reality. The sort of reality that is often extremely difficult to put into words.

Humans are a lot less perfect than books, but if I only had books I'd be tremendously lonely.

-- francis