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Comment by abeppu | Hacker News Reader

The author talks about how acquiring books reflects their personal story, time spent, interests etc, and then seems sad and surprised that kids don't want their parents' libraries ... But presumably those kids have their own interests and landmarks of their course through life. I fully expect to keep a handful of my parents personal books that I have specific memories of, but keeping the whole of their libraries feels as pointless as keeping all of their furniture or all of their wardrobes (also things that one can spend a lifetime acquiring and spending time with).

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Our grandparents, and great grandparents also had libraries of some type. Most of us have none of those books. Books get out dated quickly, we have different interests, etc.

We prefer to keep things our ancestors created (journals, artwork), awarded (military medals), used in a meaningful way or that represent them (photos.) And because space is limited and we technically have a nearly unlimited number of ancestors, we do not keep much.

I have a lot of my dad's old library. His first career was as a philosophy professor, and so it's mostly books too specific for me to sustain an interest in (certainly not that many of them). I have the space, so I've been holding on to them, but I really wish I could ask him (he passed away in 2007) which books were dear to him, and why. As it is, a particular book could have landed on his shelves because he got a good deal on it or something.

This is why I’ve started writing marginalia when I read. It’s a conversation with the future, and an explanation of why you should care about the book. If a reader wants a pristine copy, it’s easy to come by. For the most part. I’m not going to go marking up a rare book, but then I’m not likely to own one either.

One of my most treasured books is a translation of Goethe's _Faust_ which has marginal notes from a nun.

This rings true. I deeply regret not keeping my father's philosophy library, especially his Wittgenstein shelves.

Also by the time a parent dies it's possible those old books are not in great shape. It only takes one mistake for a whole shelf of books to end up damp and musty, and sometimes no one notices how bad it got.

Each person's bookshelf reflects their unique journey

Looking at their bookshelves... That is a decent wall. And remembering that most of it was in the previous house too and I do not remember them ever taking any of them to read again... Yet they are reading new books. And even got rid of some of them. I see no value for me to keep most of them, apart for them looking nice or maybe picking handful of somewhat more interesting books.

I mean, I might have wanted the furniture I grew up with because of sentimental attachment, but my parents have already overhauled their entire home now that all the kids have left the nest. I care nothing for the new stuff.

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