Birds, Leps, Observations & Generalities - the images and ramblings of Mark Skevington. Sometimes.

Tuesday 18 August 2020

Duff Information

The small space at home that I variably refer to as the study, the office or Alex's old bedroom, is functional in so far as I have the PC and space on a desk to pursue most of my home-based activities around my hobbies. Behind me, I have a relatively cheap self-build shelving unit from Ikea - we've had it for years, the sort you can slot in plastic tubs and shelves. It used to be the unit that housed all of the kids toys, lego, Brio etc. I have tubs full of photography stuff, paperwork and stationary, all manner of crap. I also have a load of DVDs that I am probably holding on to out of nostalgia - I haven't got a working DVD player anymore aside from on the PC or plugging in the Playstation to the main TV.

The top halves of the two middle units serve as basic bookshelves. But I have run out of space on there many times over as my interests grow, so in boxes up in the loft I've got plenty of bird-related literature and other outdated guides and general interest books. When it comes to books, I will happily shell out c£30ish for a field guide or reference work without batting an eyelid. I also sometimes buy books that mark a period of intensive National or local recording, like the BTO Bird Atlas 2007-2011, the recent Atlas of Britain and Ireland's Large Moths and The Birds of Leicestershire and Rutland. But purchasing 'serious' literature is something I tend to dither about. Some of this comes from spending money on the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland series - only for the publisher/series to collapse long before it was finished. However I've now had to have a cabinet reshuffle ....


I have been aware of the Beetles of Britain and Ireland series for a while, but my beetle interest is still at a very early stage in the great scheme of things. However I've taken the plunge and bought all three of the available volumes - two arrived today, Vol. 4 is pending delivery. I will be mightily pissed if the planned Vol. 2 does not materialise. This has created a reasonable dent on my debit card, £296 plus postage, but we've not been out spending money on anything else and anyway I had plenty of float with refunds from other cancelled events and part of my LCFC season ticket cost.

It does mean that four very good but no longer required Helm Bird Guides on Shorebirds, New World Warblers, Sylvia Warblers and Buntings and Sparrows have been resigned to being hidden away behind other books until I go up to the loft again. One day I will actually make the effort to sort out a proper book case that I can use for all of my books, unlike the one we have downstairs that is used for photos, ornaments and celebratory cards.

So I've now got four shelves full with books that I use to varying degrees, and some additional keys that don't fit and lay around with Atropos magazines, LROS Annual Reports and 25% of the DVDs. When Vol. 4 turns up I'll have to move stuff around again .... I think those DVDs days are numbered!



It is just me that finds it very disconcerting that British books have the spine text reading 90% clockwise and foreign tombs has the spinal text 90% anti-clockwise ....





7 comments:

martinf said...

Good man. You know it makes sense

Steve Gale said...

I love looking at other naturalists bookcases - scanning along the books - “Got it, got it, ooh wouldn’t mind that, got it, got it....”

Skev said...

I may post a follow up after clearing some DVDs, when Vol. 4 arrives - you never know, I may be able to reinstate some books. I'd like to have a flick through Rare Birds (Lewington et al) again. Maybe a stroll along others bookshelves would be a nice cross-blog thread.

Gibster said...

I've recently cleared out well over 100 natural history books (mostly pertaining to birds and the Surrey Invertebrate Atlas series, something I never thought would happen) but I still have three and a bit bookcases left. Name the date, Skev/Martin/Steve/et al and we'll do that "bookcase cross-blog thingie" :)

Gibster said...

Have to say, your plant guides seem in almost pristine (ie unused) condition...

Skev said...

Seth, I can't believe you noticed that .. I mean said that. Unused - no. Carted around and used on a wet boggy floor - no. What do you mean 'but it's a field guide'?

I'm still looking for big common stuff in the main, which that Harrap guide is fine for. I will need to use Collins properly if I'm ever going to searching for such majestic plants as that Allseed you had us scrubbing around for .... But that Vegetative Key is not for me so far I have to say.

As for the cross-blog thingie, I really meant that when you can be arsed and have nothing else to post - show us yer shelves.

Stewart said...

Some library there Mark, very nice.