In Search of Old Books: The Algorithm

Dear heavens, I have become a book snob. I don’t mean by this that I read Proust or collect first-edition anything. But in an antiquarian jaunt with my friend H. a few weeks ago, I went to a second-hand store and a Rare Book Shop and yes, gentle reader, I learned some things about myself.

First, I learned that disordered books bother me. I don’t mean that books need to be alphabetical. I would begin by recommending books not be tossed into a bin, even if they are being sold for 50 cents; rather they ought to be lined up with spines out so that people can read them and they can more easily advertise themselves to passers-by without undue bruising. If they are placed on bookshelves for perusal, let them also be grouped with their fellows according to some broad subject—say, Fiction vs. Nonfiction. Is this too much to ask?

It also occurred to me that I am downright mathematical when buying books. When a title has caught my attention and the book seems interesting and physically whole, I very quickly run through the following equation:

S
--- x R = V,
C

where (as my MIT students would say) C is cost; S is shelf space taken up by the book; R is the number of times I will reread the book; and V is total value. All of this, of course, takes place without much conscious thought.

Lastly, I admit to the sin of being somewhat influenced by the book’s cover. Not always; after all, you can’t judge, etc. But let’s face it. Given that I look to books not just for their content—knowledge, if you will—but also for the comfort knowledge brings me, a cover design that conveys order (through symmetry perhaps) or calm (through careful modulation of color) or, well, class (probably some gold leaf), that is a cover that is going to have some effect on my decision to by the book.

I’ll figure out the math of it later.