Q&A with Dean Koontz

Fumbling around Amazon.com a few days ago I found some great question and answer segments with Dean Koontz--he answers a few of the questions readers ask him, and then posts them on Amazon. One answer I particularly enjoyed was for the question does he (Koontz) purchase, or borrow from the library the books he reads?

The answer:

The correct thing, the courteous and moral and courageous thing, the wise thing, is to buy a book to read, buy a second copy to maintain in pristine condition in a vacuum under glass, buy a third copy to donate to the library, buy a fourth copy as a sign of solidarity with the author, and buy a fifth copy as an attaboy for Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of movable type. In our library and at various other locations throughout the house, we have close to 40,000 volumes--even after I conducted a ruthless culling of the collection four years ago.

40,000 volumes? Wow. It makes my scant horde seem like nothing at all. I must admit I have been known to pick-up more than one copy of a book. One to read, one to keep. Hell, every once in awhile three copies, but I will never, never, never admit to owning five of the same title. (Doesn't mean I don't, just that I won't admit to it.)

To read the other Q&As go Here.