Old books that have ceased to be of service should no more be abandoned than should old friends who have ceased to give pleasure.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
The age of the book is almost gone.
One of the pleasantest things about book writing is that sometimes it brings one in touch with old friends.
An aging writer has the not insignificant satisfaction of a shelf of books behind him that, as they wait for their ideal readers to discover them, will outlast him for a while.
Books, like friends, should be few and well chosen. Like friends, too, we should return to them again and again for, like true friends, they will never fail us - never cease to instruct - never cloy.
I sometimes feel that if your book sells more than 20 years, then there's something in it that you can say, gee, I did something that endures, that's timeless.
I have faith that worthy but misunderstood or ignored books can still prevail - and when they do, fewer joys are as sweet - but authors have families to support and rent to pay, and for them, I hope for acclaim in their time rather than late-in-life or posthumously.
I love to both give and receive very old books.
People sometimes think that I bring home all these old books because I'm addicted, that I'm no better than a hoarder with a houseful of crumbling newspapers.
When a book goes well, it abandons me. I am the most abandoned writer in the world.
Unless their use by readers bring them to life, books are indeed dead things.