Write Team: Confession time: The stacks don’t go away

I started this current Year of Our Lord 2023 with the solemn pledge not to buy any more books – UNLESS approved by my wife!

I was out of control. A drunk in a Sea of Gin. I needed help.

But I sunk. I sunk. I sunk hard. And now I’m surrounded by piles of smiling, friendly books that I have not yet gotten around to reading. Coupla dozen books. On all kindsa topics – Histories of This and That, Histories of Here and There, and other bits of nonfiction writing. I’m drowning. I’m a drowning man. A bibliomaniac in a crazy, rushing vortex of biblios and manias.

And WHEN will I have enough time to read?

I’m currently reading about the history of the Illinois Constitution. To most folks, it’s boring, but if you’ve delved into 19th century Illinois history, it is simply great stuff. The best. I came to it after finishing a book on the superhardcore antislavery activities that took place in Illinois in the 1840s and 1850s that were mostly associated with western New York immigrants to the state and their churches. OK ... history nerd I am, I admit.

On the on-deck circle are books on the history of Waukegan (local Illinois history is good stuff), Louis Comfort Tiffany (pretty glass!), an archaeology encyclopedia ( … what was PRE-history like?), and a study of the great ancient historians by a great historian of the ancients. One piece of history… leads to another piece of history … leads to yet another piece. Stop me ... just stop me, please! It’s really a cry for help now!

Oh, and still more books on a few political topics, and the histories of whaling, food, major financial crises and the very Bible Itself.

Being a reader means you may be forced into the associated arts of making bookcases. This winter I’m repairing broken leaded glass windows in a very nice antique bookcase, and building a small bookstand – from boards leftover from the full wall, built-in bookcase I built. When it’s all toted up, we’ll have a room with four walls covered by books. If there’s a strong storm everything may collapse around us and we’ll be buried in a Tomb of Books. A damn just way to end all this!

I tell folks that my son will inherit the Volker Library, some few thousand books he has absolutely minimal interest in – but I’m hoping it manages to reach future grandchildren intact. And friends, here I’m losing it a bit. I bought a copy of the “Journal of the Constitutional Convention” because if someone wanted to understand the Constitution, he – my imaginary library patron – could refer to my copy of the Federalist Papers as well as that Journal, to get a fuller understanding and finish up the term paper or law review article or God Knows What this imaginary fellow is going to do. So I’m at the point of buying for potential readers, users, of the library, and not myself. I buy books for many reasons, mostly irrational.

So stop me. It’s just an addiction now. My 2023 New Year’s Resolution has been badly snapped.

Todd Volker lives in Ottawa with his wife and son, and they enjoy reading, kayaking, hiking, tennis and camping. He’s a lifelong learner with books in his hands.