It’s Worth Telling
The stories behind the stories...
Literally, books aren’t going away any time soon. The sales of actual, physical books in the U.S. hit 767 million in 2024. As a point of reference, the current population of the U.S. is around 346 million people.
Coincident to being a book collector, Mike Cox, a fourth-generation Texan, has been a journalist, spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety, elected member of the Texas Institute of Letters and award-winning author of more than 35 non-fiction books. In addition to his notable achievements listed on the book cover, Mr. Cox is an acknowledged rockstar among Texas book collectors, Texana experts and storytellers.
I’ve always been a little skeptical of the term soulmates, but the notion of bookmates, two people bound by a passion for reading, makes perfect sense. And this book explains why. Perhaps it was written for just that unique band of brothers and sisters. As a novice book collector myself, this little volume puts book collecting into a delightfully entertaining perspective.
Want to know how to build an awesome book collection? There’s a chapter for that. Trying to decide what to collect or need some book hunting tips? Mike has you covered. Want to know why the “story” of a book find is important? Mike notes, “. . . life is like a series of stories, perhaps embodied, at least in part, by the books one collects.”
It seems all his finds have a story behind them. These aren’t just sterile volumes on a bookshelf, but vibrant stories of which Mike knows every plot line that he can tell in captivating fashion. Mr. Cox is also wise enough to point out the inestimable value of little treasures of things stuck inside found books, as well as notes and marginalia, giving sneak peeks into a previous reader’s mind and his or her reactions to the reading.
In the chapter, “Adventures of a Book Hunter,” Mike says he “. . . hunts for good stories to tell with the same gusto he devotes to hunting collectible books and ephemera.’” And he delivers. There are fascinating accounts of where he found Texana-related books from dilapidated Texas farmhouses to London.
I think Mike might agree that finding used and interesting books is actually relatively easy – like finding “antiques” in the old days – those days when you could still find antique treasures hidden away in unlikely places, before Antiques Roadshow ruined it for all of us. Nevertheless, incredible vintage book finds are still possible. For the truly great adventures and finds, be prepared to haunt antique stores, thrift shops, garage and estate sales, tag sales in church parking lots and even dumpsters.
As a clinical psychologist I can validate the chapters on the psychology of both collecting and letting go. Mr. Cox knows quite well that “letting go” of your collection can be difficult, and he has the chapter “Breaking Up is Hard to Do.” He even includes an algorithm, “How to Let Go: a formula for collectors.” Although this section is thoughtful and well-reasoned, it might not help some of us. A. Edward Newton, author, publisher and himself a collector of over 10,000 books, opines, “Even when their reading is impossible, the presence of books acquired produces such an ecstasy that the buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching towards infinity.” I like that. It makes our obsession seem downright – oh, I don’t know – elevating.
Furthermore, I’m prepared to make the case that read books are far less valuable than unread ones. The titles lining the bookshelves in my own office remind me that I know little to nothing – yet – about the bicameral mind, the power of intuition, spiritual dreaming and whatever breath work is. (Don’t spoil it for me! I want to be surprised.) Nevertheless, these shelves of unexplored ideas propel me to continue reading, continue learning, and to never be comfortable that I know enough and, of course, to buy more books. As one incurable collector observed, “As good as it is to inherit a library, it is far better to collect one.” – Augustine Birrell, early 20th century politician and man of letters.
(Don Minnick is a clinical psychologist and organizational consultant and the author of books linked to business and the arts. He has found a home in the creative and culture- rich Wimberley valley. He is a Board member of Wimberley Arts.org)
