--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every year, more than 120,000 new books…" description: "\"“Every year, more than 120,000 new books are published in Britain, creating millions of volumes that will never be opened, let alone read. Many of thes..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e71/joe-moran-196174_books_every-year-more-than-120-000-new-books-a_503983.jpg" --- # Every year, more than 120,000 new books are published in… ![“Every year, more than 120,000 new books are published in Britain, creating millions of volumes that will never be opened, let alone read. Many of these unread books are shredded into tiny fibre pellets called bitumen modifier, which can beused to make roads, holding the blacktop in place and…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e71/joe-moran-196174_books_every-year-more-than-120-000-new-books-a_503983.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e71/joe-moran-196174_books_every-year-more-than-120-000-new-books-a_503983.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e71/joe-moran-196174_books_every-year-more-than-120-000-new-books-a_503983.jpg) > ““Every year, more than 120,000 new books are published in Britain, creating millions of volumes that will never be opened, let alone read. Many of these unread books are shredded into tiny fibre pellets called bitumen modifier, which can beused to make roads, holding the blacktop in place and doubling up as a sound absorber. A mile of motorway consumes about 50,000 books. The M6 Toll Road used up two-and-a-half million old Mills and Boon novels, romantic dreams crushed daily by juggernauts...Having your unread books vanish into the authorless anonymity of a road feels pleasingly melancholic, like having your ashes scattered in a vast ocean.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Massive numbers of books are discarded and repurposed into road material, highlighting waste and the melancholy of unread stories. **In simple terms:** Many books become road filler, a sad but useful fate. Key Takeaway Consider recycling unread books creatively. Themes environment waste literature melancholy Mood reflective somber Type analytical critical When to use this quote - library deaccession - road construction - community recycling programs Key Concepts circular economy cultural loss Questions to Reflect On - What value do unread books hold? - How can we reduce book waste? A Different Perspective The environmental benefit may not offset cultural loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [000 Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/000-books-743572/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books M6](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-m6-4286322/) [Books Shredded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-shredded-4286320/) [Called Bitumen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-bitumen-4286321/) [Unread books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unread-books/) [Vast ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vast-ocean/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“There are two kinds of people in the world, those who re-read and those who don’t. No, don’t be silly, there are far more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-those-who-re-read-and/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [“The Reed Flute's Song Listen to the story told by the reed, of being separated. "Since I was cut from the reedbed, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-reed-flute-s-song-listen-to-the-story-told-by-the-reed-of-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is an unfortunate personal tragedy. However, when compared to the vast ocean of the collective tragedy faced by my people, my illness is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-an-unfortunate-personal-tragedy-however-when-compared-to-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I attempt to read one book every day. I don't always achieve that, especially when I'm traveling. But when I'm home, I read almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/i-attempt-to-read-one-book-every-day-i-don-t-always-achieve-that/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) > [ Umberto Eco is the owner of a large personal library of almost 30,000 books that he has not read. \[To him\] read books are… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/umberto-eco-is-the-owner-of-a-large-personal-library-of-almost-30-000/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Samuel Beckett is the person that I read the most of - certainly the person whose books I own the most of. Probably 800…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-larroquette/samuel-beckett-is-the-person-that-i-read-the-most-of-certainly-the/) [John Larroquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-larroquette/) > [Books in a large university library system: 2,000,000. Books in an average large city library: 10,000. Average number of books in a chain bookstore:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/books-in-a-large-university-library-system-2-000-000-books-in-an/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“In the wake of the British army’s burning of the roughly 3,000 books belonging to Congress at Washington, Jefferson offered to sell the nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/in-the-wake-of-the-british-army-s-burning-of-the-roughly-3-000-books/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [If you have read 6,000 books in your lifetime, or even 600, it's probably because at some level you find 'reality' a bit of a disappointment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-queenan/if-you-have-read-6-000-books-in-your-lifetime-or-even-600-it-s/) [Joe Queenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-queenan/) > [I've read over 4,000 books in the last 20+ years. I don't know anybody who's read more books than I have. I read all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-winget/i-ve-read-over-4-000-books-in-the-last-20-years-i-don-t-know-anybody/) [Larry Winget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-winget/) > [There are 10,000 books in my library, and it will keep growing until I die. This has exasperated my daughters, amused my friends and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/there-are-10-000-books-in-my-library-and-it-will-keep-growing-until-i/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [If you look on Amazon - if you do a search for personal finance, there are literally 20,000 books written on personal finance, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-patzer/if-you-look-on-amazon-if-you-do-a-search-for-personal-finance-there/) [Aaron Patzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-patzer/) > [ \[General James Mattis\] a very talented individual. He's - has a personal library of about 10,000 books and he's read most of them on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-r-mansoor/general-james-mattis-a-very-talented-individual-he-s-has-a-personal/) [Peter R. Mansoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-r-mansoor/) > [I had a library of maybe 1,000 books in my room in Buenos Aires. I did have the sense that everything there was organised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/i-had-a-library-of-maybe-1-000-books-in-my-room-in-buenos-aires-i-did/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [The truly cultured are capable of owning thousands of unread books without losing their composure or their desire for more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-zaid/the-truly-cultured-are-capable-of-owning-thousands-of-unread-books/) [Gabriel Zaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-zaid/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Every year, more than 120,000 new books are published in Britain, creating millions of volumes that will never be opened, let alone read. Many of these unread books are shredded into tiny fibre pellets called bitumen modifier, which can beused to make roads, holding the blacktop in place and doubling up as a sound absorber. 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