Books.
They're heavy. It's a well known fact. Unless you're a lifelong devotee of the 'Choose Your Own Adventure' series, carting any fraction of your book collection around is a serious business.
Can I part with the 'Complete Illustrated Beatles Lyrics'? Can I leave all the Hemingway? The Amis and Waugh? The Verne? The Eagle Annuals from the 60s?
The Pratchett books I am leaving, because after ten years of cajoling, persuading and strategic Leaving Books Lying Around, my Dad is finally reading them voraciously. In fact it is difficult to have a conversation with him without him bringing 'Cut Me Own Throat Dibbler' into the fray, however tenuous the connection to what we're talking about. Keith can get Throat into a conversation about say, porridge - or the weather, and finish the chat in floods of tears as he slaps his thighs and has to sit down from the exertion of laughing for ten minutes solid. Ten years. Timing, chuh.
The hard truth is, if I want to go cheaply and quickly and well, in the event of exporting me, I will be packing very few books.
Which is okay.
I mean, the thing about my favourite books is that I've read them all more than once, and in the case of the Douglas Adams and the Prachett stuff, many, many times.
And New York has an astounding public library, as well as being home to the largest secondhand bookshop in THE WORLD.
Ways and means of coping, y'see?
When my Dad has finished the Pratchett, I'll weigh up which is cheaper - shipping them over on the QM2, or buying them all again.
I think the sum total of the books I take will be:
Hemingway's Short Story collection: The Short Happy Life of Francis MacComber
Evelyn Waugh: Black Mischief
Milan Kundera: The Unbearable Lightness of Being (It's Krissa's copy)
...and maybe another couple of light, short, paperbacks.
C'est tout.
Heck, i feel for you man. When I moved house HALF my stuff was books. I don't think I could part with many of them.
*sniff*
Oh, that's so tough. When I went to Hungary, I took a pallet (approx 1 cubic meter) of books. Sadly most of them are still there, but sometimes a traveller kindly brings a box of them home for me.
Oh man I could not make that choice...I would leave all my clothes and shoes and furniture just so I could bring all my books and CDs..not a logical choice I know. But your reasoning is quite good and I commend you for making such a reasonable decision. Now...I have a question for you...I have struggled with Hemingway my entire life, and the truth may be that he is simply not for me, but considering that so many brilliant people like his writing, I keep trying. I have never read his short stories and I am now thinking perhaps I should try them...what would you recommend?
I would be really sad about leaving the Pratchett books behind. I love them too! *IF* you have original British versions (which I'd expect) then I would, personally, choose to ship rather than replace. The American version of the covers are kind of weird. In Oregon, at least, you can't find too many second-hand British covered ones, either.
Miss Bliss: I'd definitely go with the Francis MacComber collection, it is what first turned me on to Hemingway. I won't deny that it's not as light reading as other writers, and not always in a good way, but when on form Hemingway brings a more vivid and gripping imagery and emotion for me.
Angelix: Cheers for that, I'll chivvy my Dad along.
Jeepers. I couldn't do it. Depends on the situation I guess..
"I'm sorry Sir, it's either your books or your wife"
"Ohh crap... ohh well"
...
"Bye dear."
Gordon, is there in fact anything you own that you're prepared to do without for your wife?