href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/papersky/130610.html?#cutid1">Papersky
got me wondering, and the idea of getting some use out of my less-than-half-done
library categroization was appealing. Therefore, here is the list of authors whose
works I own in quantity. They range from literature to, well, not -- and then
there are a few not generally regarded as literature that I think ought to be.
There are some like Bill Bryson that I own mostly in hardback, some like Lilian
Jackson Braun that I own only in paperback or cheap used HBs, and a few like
Dorothy L. Sayers of whom I own mostly PBs but plan to grandually upgrade. I'm not
separating this list by genre; one think recording my whole library has taught me
is that books are nearly as difficult to categorize as people are. But more fun.
(I don't like putting people in pigeonholes.) I wasn't going to comment on these,
but I can't seem to stop writing about books.
I own five or more books by:
Louisa May Alcott (includes 5 books of which one is an omnibus including stories
and a couple of full-length novels)
Austen (Technically, I only own four, but one of those is an omnibus of all 6 of
her books. I have a couple of duplicates and a book of her letters.)
Gael Baudino (5. I wish she'd write more like Gossamer Axe.)
Bill Bryson (7, he's certain to eventually end up on the 10+ list.)
Agatha Christie (6 plus a couple about her. Will probably eventually be on the 10+
list by grace of lots of books written and lots for sale used.)
Steven Coonts (Actually most of these belong to Rudder. I only like his nonfiction
about flying.)
Susan Cooper (Will probably not end up on the 10+ list but only because she
doesn't write enough!)
L. Sprague de Camp (Compleat ENchanter books, mostly.)
Diane Duane (6 and growing -- I own some of the Wizard books, both series. She
writes lots of books, but I'm not a huge Trekker.)
Elizabeth Enright (Again: if only she'd written more...)
Neil Gaiman (6, novels only - I need to read the Sandman stuff someday.)
Barbara Hambly (7, mostly mysteries rather than SF)
Laurie R. King (The Mary Russell books -- don't like her harder-edged
mysteries.)
Mercedes Lackey (7 - can get a bit cloying. I think my favorite character of hers
is Diana Tregarde.)
CS Lewis (9 - I need to get the rest of the Silent Planet books someday, as well
as A Grief Observed.)
McCaffrey (6 - I used to love Pern but it finally started getting old.)
Sharyn McCrumb (5 - don't know why, since some of her stuff has a mean edge I
don't like. Some is all right, though.)
E. Nesbit (8 - actually I'd have thought I had more. Some are hard to find in
print, though.)
Patrick O'Brian (5, and I'll probably enventually get most of the series. But
likely in PB, especially since they are such a nice edition.)
Miss Read (8 - also definitely increasing. Wonderful comfort reading, but never
syrupy or cloying. I couldn't stand the Mitford books, which are so often compared
to Fairacre.)
Spider Robinson (9 - I need the latest Callahn book.)
Elizabeth Scarborough (7 - Seashell archives, Godmother books, and a few
others)
I own ten or more books by (and some of these numbers probably don't need
comment!):
Lilian Jackson Braun (10 - a growing number - they're easily found used and no
thought is required. Sometimes that's good.)
Tom Clancy (17 - these are Rudder's. He likes to stick to a few authors, but says
each Clancy book has been a little worse than the last lately.)
Charles de Lint (16 - 2 signed!)
Robert A. Heinlein (25 - enough said.)
Madeleine L'Engle (12 or 13. I hope she manages to get that last Meg Murray book
written...)
Diana Wynne Jones (11 - definitely will get more as she writes them, and probably
a few more of those already written.)
Charlotte MacLeod (18 - no more of these unless there are some I don't know about.
Not a huge fan of the Kellings but I love all her other series)
L.M. Montgomery (26 - again, enough said.)
Elizabeth Peters (24 - I think I will buy the latest Amelia book. I listened to a
copy from the library and thought the quality was still up. Don't like the more
recent Nefret and Ramses as much, though.)
J.K. Rowling (sort of a cheat; I have each of the 5 HP books on both paper and
audio.)
Dorothy L. Sayers (16 that I want to upgrade to HB eventually.)