THE HOUSE OF TWENTY THOUSAND BOOKS By Sasha Abramsky


If this book was about me, the title would have to be changed to The House of 30,000 Books. Instead, this book concerns Chiman Abramsky, a key figure in the intellectual movement of Eastern European Jewry. Abramsky and his wife, Miriam, ran a well-known bookstore in London’s East End. Abramsky was a professor. He was friends with Isaiah Berlin, Erie Hobsbawn, and other key intellectuals. Abramsky wrote in a letter to Isaiah Berlin, “…[I would] be classified as an ex-communist, ex-Marxist, a mixture today of a radical-liberal-conservative-cum-counter-revolutionary; one who has lost his faith and has not yet found a new one, in a word a person who searches, gropes, doubts, constantly making ‘post-mortems’ on his own thinking…and somehow still believes in humanistic values” (p. 310). I found the story of Chiman Abramsky’s life fascinating reading. You would, too. How many books do you own? GRADE: B+

32 thoughts on “THE HOUSE OF TWENTY THOUSAND BOOKS By Sasha Abramsky

  1. maggie mason

    I own a lot less books now than even a year ago. I added on a room to my house for by book business, and kept some of the personal collection there. I also had 2 storage units, and a house full of books.

    I kept books by authors I enjoy the most, and some one offs that are signed (a Mary Stewart, Craig Rice, Hildegard Dolson). When I gathered all my PG Wodehouse books together, I found many duplicates, and even a couple of triplicates. I also found I had dups of early editions of nancy drew books. Organizing is still a work in progress.

    I also have many stacks and bookcases filled with TBR review books

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Maggie, I facing the same situation you’re dealing with. I’m trying to devote an hour a day to “organizing” my book collection. I’ve donated a few hundred books to my local Library’s upcoming Book Sale (some Robert Ludlums and John Irving books I figured I’d never read again and etc.).

      Reply
  2. Bill Crider

    I have no idea how many books I have, and I’m not going to guess. “A lot” would be a good answer.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Bill, I love your answer. Diane would say I have “a lot more” than 30,000 books. But I’m trying to reduce the collection by at least a 1000 books this Summer. SUNY at Buffalo is eager to receive them.

      Reply
  3. Jeff Meyerson

    Not so many, certainly compared with you. I’d say under 3,000 at the moment. But that’s OK. I’ve gotten rid of all the boxes I used to have in the closets and everything is out and visible on shelves. Also, there are (ahem) 619 not visible books on the Kindle.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Jeff, my goal is to get all my books out of boxes in 2016. But, in order to accomplish that feat, I need to clear shelf space. That’s why most of Robert Ludlum’s books are no longer in my collection. John Irving is next.

      Reply
  4. Jeff Meyerson

    You would have loved our friend Bob Adey’s amazing collection, definitely over 30,000. In the house he had all his hardbacks arranged alphabetically by author (and chronologically), plus a separate section for the locked room stuff he used for his books, and a big collection of Victorian books, including triple-deckers. But in the garage…wow. Art can testify to the amazing stuff he could pull off the shelves out there. He also had pulps and other magazines.

    I remember taking him to Otto’s old store to see his collection in the back rooms. They did a little “whose is bigger” comparison. Both had a lot of Victorian stuff, often different books by the same authors.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Jeff, we’re traveling to see Patrick’s new aparment in GOOGLE LAND next month. Katie is joining us. One of the highlights of this trip will be a visit to Art Scott’s house. As Katie put it, “I’d like to see an ORGANIZED book collection.”

      Reply
  5. Patti Abbott

    Over the last five years we have given perhaps 2500 or more away. Anything we knew we would not reread, a lot of Phil’s scholarly books, books that had sat too long all went. We still have perhaps 5000. Yesterday I realized I had three copies of THE THIRD MAN.

    Reply
    1. Jeff Meyerson

      I love THE THIRD MAN, book and movie. One of the highlights of visiting Vienna was going to the Prater and riding the big wheel and imagining how it all looked in 1950.

      Reply
    2. george Post author

      Patti, I have the same problem with multiple copies of books. That’s one problem I’m trying to solve quickly. And, like you and Phil, I’m getting rid of many of my work-related books and textbooks.

      Reply
  6. Deb

    We probably have about 1500 books. Prior to Katrina, the number was closer to 3000. We lost very few books in the storm, but we had to put the books (and lots of other things) in storage while our house was being repaired. Over the years, we retrieved many items from the storage unit, but most of the books stayed put. Finally, close to a decade after the hurricane, we closed the unit and stacked the boxes in our garage. It took another year to finally cull the collection: We gave about 1/4 to the FOTL and about another 1/4 to a coworker who was converting a spare room on to a library. Since then, I’ve tried to keep a handle on our book purchases, but the number has crept up somewhat.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Deb, after I read a book now, I ask myself: “Is this a Keeper?” If I decide it’s unlikely that I would reread the book or consult it in the future…out it goes!

      Reply
      1. Jeff Meyerson

        Jackie is at that stage now, where she realized she will never reread most of the books and is trying to cut it down to just those authors she really wants to keep.

      2. george Post author

        Jeff, we’re at the stage in Life where we must “de-clutter.” Art Scott sold $4,000 worth of books at Lessercon. Marv Lachman is selling his wonderful collection. It’s just time to let go of a lot of our “stuff.”

  7. joe allegretti

    Probably had about 5000 or more before I started to give them away. Maybe half as many now. I’ve gotten rid of most of my read-it-once-and-never-look-at-it-again books. When it comes to crime and mystery, for example, I’ve only kept those authors I return to time after time–Conan
    Doyle, Stout, Hammett, Chandler (always Chandler), Macdonald, Brewer, Fleming, Hamilton (Matt Helm), and a few others. I now use my kindle to buy more of these. Still buy plenty of history books and literary studies because I don’t like the kindle for maps, notes, etc. Yesterday I got the book of Ross Macdonald interviews, “It’s All One Case.” joe

    Reply
  8. maggie mason

    For you kindle folks, there is a website called Heyitsfree that has been once in a while posting free kindle books. (they also have other freebies of all types) Sign up for the emails, a couple a week. I’ve gotten really nice free stuff via the site.

    Reply
  9. Rick Robinson

    I know there are more books than I can read in my lifetime.
    I have a lot, probably in the neighborhood of 3,000 or so. I’m slowly cutting it down by donating, as I don’t imagine I can find a buyer for much of it, even the really good stuff.

    Reply
    1. maggie mason

      rick my friend scott works at the adams ave book store here in SD he’s there mon & tues. You could call and talk to him about the really good stuff they pay about 25% of what they sell it for. He also does book shows, etc. He did one in Seattle in Oct and may do one again there this year

      Reply
    2. george Post author

      Rick, I donate current books to my local Library and take the tax deduction. The more scholarly books go to one of our surviving used bookstores, The Book Corner. And old paperbacks, digests, and pulp magazines go to SUNY at Buffalo’ Special Collections Rare Books Library.

      Reply
  10. wolfi

    Right now I still have my science fiction collection of around 12 000 books and magazines – but I’m thinking about selling them, it’s a pity that no one in the family is really interested in them.

    Compared to that the around two thousand other books that my wife and me have bought over the years don’t really count.

    PS:
    Yes, there’s a library room in the house filled with books – meters of them, shelves in several rows along three walls …

    Reply
      1. wolfi

        George, I’ve started to ask friends in Britain, connected to the “book business”, now have to wait and see. It would probably too much/too expensive to transport all those books to the USA …

        Btw, the German wiki has more info on Abramsky than the Englsih version – interesting:
        https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimen_Abramsky

        PS:
        The Third Man is also one of my favourite films – Austrian friends told me that it captures the crazy situation ov occupied Vienna after WW2 very well. At least the Austrians were lucky that the Russians left after a few years -compared to Eastern Europe.

      2. george Post author

        Wolf, there’s a market for vintage Science Fiction and Fantasy. You just have to find the right buyers. THE THIRD MAN is an excellent novel, too! The movie is a classic.

    1. george Post author

      Patti, sometimes I buy books just for their covers. And, like you, I’ve been fooled by different covers on the same book.

      Reply
  11. Steve Lewis

    I *think* I have as many books as Bill Crider, by which I mean “a lot.” Including five storage areas, but most of those I bought specifically for resale.

    I’m working on it.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Steve, I think you won the “I Have More Storage Units Full of Books” Award. You have more storage units than Bill Crider and Maggie Mason put together!

      Reply

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