The hidden costs of owning 28,000 books: from floor cracks to €85 average valuations

A private collector in Belgium has published a detailed account of the practical realities behind maintaining a personal library of 28,000 volumes, arguing that the logistical challenges of storage and insurance outweigh the romantic notion of collecting. The article, titled "I Own 28,000 Books. Here's What I've Learned," details how the collection, which spans twenty years of acquisition, requires approximately 700 linear metres of shelving and weighs an estimated 11.2 tonnes.

The sheer weight of the books has necessitated significant structural modifications to the collector’s home. After a crack appeared in the ceiling of the room below the library, a structural engineer determined that the floor joists were not rated for the concentrated load of seven tonnes of literature. The solution involved installing steel reinforcement beams, a cost the collector notes would have purchased several hundred additional books. The storage solution itself is a hybrid of custom oak units, IKEA Billy bookcases, and industrial steel shelving in the basement, reflecting a shift from aesthetics to capacity as the collection grew.

Moving the collection has proven equally demanding. The collector has relocated the library twice, with the first move involving approximately 400 boxes and the second requiring 550 boxes. The second relocation was handled by a specialist firm that packed shelves in sequence and labelled boxes by room and position, a process that cost approximately the same as a decent used car. The experience highlighted the need for specific logistics, such as using small, sturdy boxes and packing books spine-down to manage weight distribution.

Financially, the collection is managed through a specialist insurance policy that distinguishes between the aggregate value of the majority of the books and individually scheduled items. The average per-book value is calculated at approximately €85, a figure the collector describes as mathematically correct but practically meaningless, as it averages high-value items with thousands of paperbacks. Items worth more than €1,000 are individually appraised and scheduled, with the resulting list stored in three locations for redundancy.

Perhaps the most critical lesson, according to the collector, is the importance of cataloguing. After finding existing solutions insufficient, the collector developed custom software to manage the database, transforming the physical collection into a searchable and insurable library. This digital record is considered more important than the physical books themselves, as it provides the structure necessary to navigate and value the collection effectively.

The account serves as a cautionary tale for serious collectors, emphasising that a library of this size is a cohabitant that demands space, attention, and financial resources. As the collection continues to grow, the collector notes that the marginal value of each new book decreases, making curation a difficult but necessary part of the process.