[MR] Re: Books

[rmhowe]

Sorry, so behind I'm just now seeing this.
Hell, what's nine months? I wasn't ignoring you, really.
I'm simply on too many lists to keep up.

Alanna wrote on  21 Jun 2001:

> Just out of sheer curiosity, Magnus, how many books do you have?
> (Yes, I know the generic SCA answer is 'not enough'.)

Our generic Great Dark Horde answer is 'enough'.
However:
Somewhere around 7000 on arts/crafts/history/archaeology, etc. 
and probably 1600 or so magazines, mostly on woodworking, 
metalworking, history, and jewelry. Lots of binders and cabinets/
boxes/piles of articles/offprints/etc. Covers most things short of 
building large airplanes. Anne's are on sewing/embroidery/
gardening/natural history/fiber arts, etc.
 
> One of the things that most pleased me about my discovery of the SCA
> was that there were *other people* with large personal libraries on
> unusual topics.

It's how I keep focused. Actually it's how I cope. 
I have chronic widespread myofascial pain, and I don't notice it
as much when my mind is occupied. Of course, I largely got this 
way by overusing my muscles making things. ;)
 
> In many years as a military family carting books from here to there,
> the movers have never believed us when we said "You'll need about 100
> book boxes." 

I did buy out a military library from a Company at Fort Ord one
time. ;) Resold most of it. Whatever did not fit in with the
martial arts/medical books.

> They think "They can't possibly mean 100, they must
> mean 10."  So when the crew gets there on moving day and actually
> *sees* our library, someone gets back in the truck and goes back to
> the warehouse for another 90 book boxes.

Last time I moved was 12 years ago. That was the third time the
Barony moved the shop. 20 people / Multiple trucks (including
a 24'er / 5 hours. Previous two times were 16 people/multiple
trucks/7 hours. That was the tools and machinery. There were
no stairs the last time. The first time now Sir Gunther and Sir
Forgal had a contest trying to winch a concrete filled barrel
up to the warehouse loft among other things. The big post vise was
attached. I imagine they were eating left handed for a while.

They never had to move the books. That took Anne, me, and Ted
about two weeks, a good dozen trips with a cargo van. I would
estimate about 200 boxes. Figure another 5 trips for our personal
possessions and furniture. I got tendinitus in both arms,
which resulted in myofascial pain moving in there as well.
I managed to make it another four years...and everything seized
up for months. I currently need about 150' of additional bookcases.
We reenforced the basement floor and put in another beam for
a new bookcase to be put in the hallway a year ago. Of course
it's been twelve years so there are a few more books...
If we ever get them up there won't be much room for pictures on
anything but the hall and bathroom walls.

I've been thinking about hanging cloth drapes with tapestries
over the bookcases to make it less like Grand Central receiving.
We really don't have that much furniture. Actually we got
rid of some of it to make room for books. They tend to come
in at a rate of feet per month. Many from Europe.
I'm not quite sure how many languages they are in, but there
are a good hundred dictionaries in lots of languages.
 
I'm planning on dying here. We've both decided we're not moving
again. Valdemar's toast at my 50th birthday [Dec.] was something 
along the line of 'Thank God Magnus got a permanent house and shop -
because we're -not- moving him again.'

[After the party four of the more testosterone-poisoned came
over and moved another 300 lb object in. Then Sir Gunther
took to teaching sword and shield in the backyard about midnight.
Fortunately no one was ruptured. I was all for uncrating it in
the backyard, but that fell on deaf ears.]

Anyway, we just refinanced again for the second time last week.
6% down from 8% down from 10%. Saving three years and another
$18,000 which is important as Anne is three years from 
retirement. As if she didn't see enough books as a serials/
monographic cataloger for NCSU. 

I've always assumed she married me for the good books.

I pity our wills executioner. Seriously.

Magnus

> Uncle Sam always said "Throw away (!) old books and magazines before
> you move."  I said "You'll have to pry my books out of my cold, dead
> fingers first."
> 
> Alanna
> ***********
> Saying of the day: They got the library at Alexandria, but they're
> not getting mine!