Your Library Options

While I'm not a beginner in the occult, one of the things that I would love to have is my own occult library. Here's the conflict. I don't know whether to shell out the money for the books, or just print them out, put them in a binder, and leave it like that. Personally I feel its more attractive to have the physical book there in my hands, but then again, printing out the pdf's is a good way to write notes on the print out, and record experiences. What do most of you do, and would recommend? Thanks for reading.

Greetings,

I have amassed some 200 odd books and texts in the years since I started in magick, and all but 22 are in electronic form. As alia mentioned, PDFs have the added benefit of the extra features (search, notes, exc.) that books lack. Such features are most useful; however, some books are alive- I'm thinking of the Necronomicon in particular. An electronic copy is fine, but to get the full effect one must have a really copy.

Aside from the living aspects, there are the textile sensations of a beautifully printed hardbound book. I have a hard time enjoying PDFs, an issue that has not arisen with a book. On that note, a physical copy of PDF is as good, even if some of the allure is lacking. One can print and bind a PDF in as little as two hours, which has all of the aesthetic appeal, and life with only a fraction of the cost.

If a proper book is desired, I would recommend searching used book stores, either on the internet (Amazon, or AbeBooks, and Alibris) or local shops. Many times one or the other will have a decent copy for fewer than ten dollars. Yet even a physical copy is not perfect, aside from the before deficiencies, books tend to age. Many books printed only twenty years ago have aged so poorly that they are utterly unreadable.

A solution is to have both a print copy and an electronic one; this is the fix I have employed. The PDF copies provide, in addition to quick reference, and fact-finding, a back up copy in case of lose are damage.

As it can be guessed from the length of this post books are something of a hobby for me. Electronic media has it’s useful aspects, but I am looking forward to expanding my own library.

Cheery-Bye