What’s the largest your personal library has ever been? What’s the greatest number of books you’ve ever owned at one time? (Estimates are fine.)
Is your collection NOW the biggest it’s ever been? Or have you down-sized?
What’s the fewest number of books you’ve ever owned (not counting your pre-reading years)?
I believe my personal library was the same size when I was single as now, when I live with a husband and two children! Through six moves in married life, I have pared down my books as much as I could. Still, I kept all my beloved children's and young adult books through all of this. One reason was that they are still some of my very favorite books. Another reason was to save them for when my children might be interested in reading them.
We only have a few more children's books now than I ever did!
My best guess at the number of books in this house is around 400.
The smallest number of books I owned was probably twenty-five to fifty when I was a child at home. When I left home, several of the household-at-large books were given to me or just mysteriously came with me. More were given to me as my mother cleared out her homes. My collection grew from there. I always bought books at library sales and garage sales, but I also started buying books online during my college years.
Now, with children, I find their favorite Christmas-gift books come from my Goodwill selections.
