Seems A Bit Obsessive…
I have never failed to enjoy the writing of science fiction author James P. Hogan, whom I have also had the pleasure of meeting. The year he was guest of honor at Arisia, it was my suggestion to the original con chair that made it happen.
Probably my favorite of his books, and one of my favorites by anyone, is an alternate history/time travel/World War II adventure called The Proteus Operation.
The other day, around the same time I was suffering and ignoring the compulsion to put all our books in alphabetical order as I looked for something to read next (settling on a Heinlein reread), I figured out that I had three copies of The Proteus Operation.
What the heck?
I have no idea how I ended up with three. I believe I had loaned or misplaced my copy, or maybe decided it was getting ratty, so I bought another. That explains the two sitting on one shelf. I am forever trying to loan it at people because I think it’s Just That Good, so I may also have been thinking I’d always have a loaner that I could afford not to get back.
But the third copy, on another shelf? No idea. Yet I think I bought it from a book dealer at an Arisia in the last year or two, thinking exactly the same “good idea to have a spare” thing. Oops.
By the time we go through all our books and cull out duplicates, we might be able to raise pretty good money selling them off. Heh.
Which will involve ordering all the books alphabetically, which I love to do even though I can usually stop myself. Speaking of obsessive. If nothing else, I tell myself we need at least one more bookcase before that would be practical. The ones we have are already overflowing. To really organize the books ideally requires spare space to leave throughout for when new ones need to be added. Maybe someday…
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