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Coventina

(28,677 posts) Fri Sep 12, 2025, 07:41 PM Friday

Books by the foot?!?!?! Are you kidding me?!?!?

I’m currently sitting in my doctors waiting room. I pick up a copy of “House Beautiful” just to browse for fun.

A designer they talked to said she required as a non-negotiable for all her clients that they buy from a place called Books by the Foot to fill their bookshelves.

I immediately put the magazine back.

Is this what our intellectual life has become?!?!?

I have over 1000 books of my own!
But most people, I guess? Have a designer put random books on their shelves to look like they read?!?!?

I’m a relic, I guess.

8 replies

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Books by the foot?!?!?! Are you kidding me?!?!? (Original Post) Coventina Friday OP

But if you pick books yourself just based on what you like to read, the sizes and colors won't match... RockRaven Friday #1

My collection is 45 years + in the making... Moostache Friday #2

I think we have 17 bookcases. Fifteen to twenty years ago rsdsharp Friday #3

We're a culture of rampant anti-intellectualism. Rizen Friday #4

Nothing new. Lars39 Friday #5

Some people don't even bother using real books. LudwigPastorius Yesterday #6

Books by the foot describes only a small part of my personal library. Aristus Yesterday #7

No not most people. Figarosmom Yesterday #8

RockRaven

(17,960 posts)

1. But if you pick books yourself just based on what you like to read, the sizes and colors won't match...

Reply to Coventina (Original post)

Fri Sep 12, 2025, 07:45 PM

Friday

Oh no!!!!

Moostache

(10,771 posts)

2. My collection is 45 years + in the making...

Reply to Coventina (Original post)

Fri Sep 12, 2025, 08:00 PM

Friday

I have mismatched shelves ( on purpose because they are the ones I have built alongside the collection itself)...

We live in an era of make believe and performative nonsense. It is everywhere and it's just sad.

rsdsharp

(11,277 posts)

3. I think we have 17 bookcases. Fifteen to twenty years ago

Reply to Coventina (Original post)

Fri Sep 12, 2025, 08:00 PM

Friday

I created a spreadsheet to catalog our books. At that point we had about 1400. We’ve donated some, and acquired others since, as well as utilizing Kindle.

A new computer could no longer access the spreadsheet, and I couldn’t face starting over, but I’d guess we’re up to close to 2000 books. I don’t have the room to buy “books by the foot,” even if I wanted to.

I will admit I have Winston Churchill’s six volume set on World War II quarter bound in blue leather. They do look nice on the shelf, even though I’m ashamed to confess I’ve never read them.

Rizen

(945 posts)

4. We're a culture of rampant anti-intellectualism.

Reply to Coventina (Original post)

Fri Sep 12, 2025, 08:00 PM

Friday

Where the stupidest lying pieces of trash control everything and want to keep everyone as stupid as they are.

Lars39

(26,415 posts)

5. Nothing new.

Reply to Coventina (Original post)

Fri Sep 12, 2025, 08:50 PM

Friday

People used to buy books by the yard in at least the 1700s England iirc.

LudwigPastorius

(13,367 posts)

6. Some people don't even bother using real books.

Reply to Coventina (Original post)

Sat Sep 13, 2025, 12:22 AM

Yesterday

https://web.archive.org/web/20230510082443/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/28/realestate/fake-books-decor.html

Aristus

(70,832 posts)

7. Books by the foot describes only a small part of my personal library.

Reply to Coventina (Original post)

Sat Sep 13, 2025, 12:35 AM

Yesterday

I own the entire set of Time-Life’s World War II library. The whole set, shelved side-by-side, measures around three and a half feet.

But those thirty or so volumes represent only a fraction of my 3,000 or so books. Until this thread, I had never thought of my collection in terms of “feet of books”.

Figarosmom

(8,406 posts)

8. No not most people.

Reply to Coventina (Original post)

Sat Sep 13, 2025, 12:37 AM

Yesterday

Just those that hire designers to pick out "personal " items for them. Because they don't really mean anything except to look good. Just like the owners of those homes.

MOST people who have books , read them.

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