18 votes

Washington’s secret to the perfect Zoom bookshelf? Buy it wholesale.

14 comments

  1. [9]
    JXM
    (edited )
    Link
    That's depressing. I've put literal decades into my book collection and they're all books I love. Its sad that someone wants to buy a bunch of books because they make them seem smarter or...

    That's depressing. I've put literal decades into my book collection and they're all books I love. Its sad that someone wants to buy a bunch of books because they make them seem smarter or important rather than actually wanting to read them.

    For the heck of it (and because it's fun to peep at other's collections) here's what it looks like.

    14 votes
    1. [2]
      drannex
      Link Parent
      I don't know... That looks far too good. You must be an agent of Books by the Foot. Very suspicious. /s Your collection looks great all the way though, I have a lot of books (I purchase 3 or 4 a...

      I don't know... That looks far too good. You must be an agent of Books by the Foot. Very suspicious.

      /s Your collection looks great all the way though, I have a lot of books (I purchase 3 or 4 a month) and I don't have anywhere close to a good display system (mine are mostly in piles around the house on different dressers and tables).

      3 votes
      1. JXM
        Link Parent
        I got lucky and the place I was working a few years ago was getting rid of these massive shelves we used to store betamax tapes on (they're about 9 feet tall). So I managed to snag them for free....

        I got lucky and the place I was working a few years ago was getting rid of these massive shelves we used to store betamax tapes on (they're about 9 feet tall). So I managed to snag them for free.

        I buy books on occasion but my partner works for a library so...a lot less than I used to.

        2 votes
    2. mrbig
      Link Parent
      There are actually hollow plastic things that appear to be several books that only serve the purpose of making your shelf look distinguished.

      There are actually hollow plastic things that appear to be several books that only serve the purpose of making your shelf look distinguished.

      3 votes
    3. [2]
      krg
      Link Parent
      You might be interested in one of the bookshelf threads that has been posted.

      You might be interested in one of the bookshelf threads that has been posted.

      3 votes
      1. JXM
        Link Parent
        I must have missed those. Thanks, I'm gonna go back and explore some of those photos tonight.

        I must have missed those. Thanks, I'm gonna go back and explore some of those photos tonight.

        3 votes
    4. [3]
      tomf
      Link Parent
      Can you give me a quick list of your favorite Trek books? I've read a handful of them, but after reading Imzadi, I'm skeptical about the suggestions from the sub.

      Can you give me a quick list of your favorite Trek books? I've read a handful of them, but after reading Imzadi, I'm skeptical about the suggestions from the sub.

      2 votes
      1. [2]
        JXM
        Link Parent
        Those are all books my wife brought to the collection. She's a huge Star Trek fan, so she has a pretty deep collection of Trek books and vintage zines. Her recommendations are the Spock's World by...

        Those are all books my wife brought to the collection. She's a huge Star Trek fan, so she has a pretty deep collection of Trek books and vintage zines.

        Her recommendations are the Spock's World by Diane Duane and the Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series.

        4 votes
        1. tomf
          Link Parent
          nice! thank her for me!

          nice! thank her for me!

          2 votes
  2. Grzmot
    Link
    On one hand, it doesn't surprise me that in a world firmly grounded in aesthetics, there's business to be made in selling people books that they will never read. After all, coffee table books...

    On one hand, it doesn't surprise me that in a world firmly grounded in aesthetics, there's business to be made in selling people books that they will never read. After all, coffee table books exist as well. On the other hand, it seems almost insulting to the art form to trivialize the art form that books are like this. On the third (and slightly radioactive hand), books like these would probably get destroyed otherwise, so it's kind of environmentally friendly.

    Putting more thought into this, I can get behind it. I don't like the reason why this business exists, but it's not doing anything bad on it's own.

    7 votes
  3. [2]
    tesseractcat
    Link
    As a counterpoint, I enjoy the aesthetics of a bookshelf, but I prefer to read all my books on my e-reader, so they're all digital. I could imagine myself using this service, especially since it's...

    As a counterpoint, I enjoy the aesthetics of a bookshelf, but I prefer to read all my books on my e-reader, so they're all digital. I could imagine myself using this service, especially since it's repurposing old books.

    5 votes
    1. vord
      Link Parent
      I'd probably just convert a lot of them into storage. A full bar hidden in plain sight has some appeal.

      I'd probably just convert a lot of them into storage.

      A full bar hidden in plain sight has some appeal.

      2 votes
  4. krg
    Link
    This makes me a lil self-conscious, as my bookshelf(ves) are generally on display when I video chat. Though... I've read at least 85% of what's on them ... so, I ain't exactly frontin'. Also,...

    This makes me a lil self-conscious, as my bookshelf(ves) are generally on display when I video chat. Though... I've read at least 85% of what's on them ... so, I ain't exactly frontin'.

    Also, somewhat relevant is this article on "tsundoku", or "the art of buying books and never reading them." Of course, when it's orientalized by western media, it becomes romanticized...

    3 votes