Books Quote by Italo Calvino
““Sections in the bookstore - Books You Haven't Read - Books You Needn't Read - Books Made for Purposes Other Than Reading - Books Read Even Before You Open Them Since They Belong to the Category of Books Read Before Being Written - Books That If You Had More Than One Life You Would Certainly Also Read But Unfortunately Your Days Are Numbered - Books You Mean to Read But There Are Others You Must Read First - Books Too Expensive Now and You'll Wait 'Til They're Remaindered - Books ditto When They Come Out in Paperback - Books You Can Borrow from Somebody - Books That Everybody's Read So It's As If You Had Read Them, Too - Books You've Been Planning to Read for Ages - Books You've Been Hunting for Years Without Success - Books Dealing with Something You're Working on at the Moment - Books You Want to Own So They'll Be Handy Just in Case - Books You Could Put Aside Maybe to Read This Summer - Books You Need to Go with Other Books on Your Shelves - Books That Fill You with Sudden, Inexplicable Curiosity, Not Easily Justified - Books Read Long Ago Which It's Now Time to Re-read - Books You've Always Pretended to Have Read and Now It's Time to Sit Down and Really Read Them””
About This Quote
Source Book: Invisible Cities, Italo Calvino, 1972
A playful list sat the endless ways we categorize books, reflecting our desire to organize reading experiences and the paradox of endless reading ambitions.
In simple terms: Books are categorized in many ways, showing our love and overwhelm for reading.
Embrace reading without over‑categorizing.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- personal reading lists
- library organization
- literary criticism
- book clubs
- academic research
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do categories shape your reading choices?
- Can you enjoy books without labeling them?
Over‑categorization can limit spontaneous discovery of books.