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My bookshelf that isn’t mine
by Carolin Teufelberger
Gifts, buys and bygones – my bookshelf reflects the phases of my life
23.12.2021
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
I’m not even close to having an orderly or even well-curated treasure of books to call my own. But almost every work on my bookshelf means something to me in one way or the other.
I’ve been married for over a decade, and have moved home several times together with my wife. The boxes filled with books were always the heaviest and the most numerous. But that’s not because of me. Unlike my spouse, I’m not a book hoarder. The books I read are mostly fiction, light entertainment. Or they’re non-fiction books containing knowledge that’s usually outdated by the time I’ve finished reading them.
We have a «fair» 80-20 division of the book shelf space. This means the books that occupy «my» 20 per cent of the large shelving unit in our office under the roof aren’t a random collection, but carefully selected. Or they’re waiting in death row, hoping for a pardon. Or they’re future gifts waiting for their big moment.
Ten of the books I’ve deliberately kept are Reclam paperback editions of literary classics. Among them a 1967 edition of Goethe’s «Faust» I got from my father – a former German teacher, who filled the book with personal notes on the interpretation of the book. Even older publications, dating from 1955 and 1956, are the «The Sorrows of Young Werther» and the tragedy «Antigone» by Sophocles. Other works, namely Cicero’s «In Verrem», remind me of torturous Latin classes. And Max Weber’s «Politics as a Profession» brings back memories of my abandoned studies of political science.
Crime thrillers by mass-production authors
Once my school and uni days were over, and I could make my own literary decisions, fictional books were added to my collection. Among the better-known authors are John Irving («Last Night in Twisted River»), Ken Follet («Fall of Giants»), Robert Harris («Munich») and Florian Illies («1913»). They stand on equal footing with representatives of my current taste in books: thrillers starring agents or politicians. Or preferably both at the same time.
Luckily for me, these agent thrillers are churned out like there’s no tomorrow. So the paperback I bought ahead is already waiting for me – «The Cassandra Compact» by Robert Ludlum featuring the main character John Smith. The book’s all about Agent Smith trying to stop a mad Russian from doing no good with mutated smallpox viruses. In «The Hades Factor», which I’ve almost finished, the plot is quite similar: a pharmaceutical company wants to enrich itself by unleashing a deadly virus on humanity, for which it secretly also developed the cure. It’s a conspiracy that reaches the highest echelons and that must be uncovered.
These are the books I read and then get rid of as soon as I’ve reached the last page. Much to the dismay of my wife, who believes you can’t just throw books away. That’s why she hoards pretty much everything. This leaves me with very little shelf space, which is why I only own a few reference books and non-fiction in addition to the complete edition of the Asterix volumes bound in leather. Then there are photo books with historical pictures spanning one hundred years of history. For example, panoramic shots of New York with the World Trade Center, or the «Fussball unser», a type of Lord’s Prayer full of nerdy stats for football fans. It’s right next to a faux leather folder with a zip. It contains yellow and red cards, a whistle, game note cards and a dialling stamp – fond memories of a time when I spent my Saturdays and Sundays travelling from provincial football pitch to provincial football pitch, making a bit of pocket money as a referee.
The only tidy thing is Ursus Wehrli
Considering the mess that is our bookshelf, «The Art of Clean Up» by Ursus Wehrli is no more than a fig leaf and reminder to finally get things sorted. To outsiders, my bookshelf probably remains a strange reflection of my literary life, but it’s one I can understand. Wehrli can go count french fries or colour-sort parked cars. I’m comfy in my chaos.
Chaotic, chronological, alphabetical; by colour, by size, by mood; geographical, autobiographical, thematic. We all have our own ideas about how books should be arranged on a shelf. We, the Galaxus editors, are allowing you a sneak peek into our very own bookshelves. Next up: David Lee.
Find all published articles from this series here:
Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chJournalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
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