Freak Bros comics.

If my house caught fire, the first thing to save would be the cat, followed by MrA. If time allowed after that, there are three pictures I am very fond of. Books do not come into the equation at all, MrA may return for some of his comics.

In truth - f**k the books/comics. I'd grab my external HD, my Les Paul, my banjo, my Simmons xylophone and my WW2 searchlight mirror. May involve two trips I guess.

Ooh yes, the banjo, and the Gibson.

Poor James Michener did not leave much of an impression on some readers, at least not so much that they remember his name correctly.

And I would rather save hard discs with documents on them. Books can be bought again, as said upthread.

Childhood books (sentimental value):

The Playhour Annual 1970

The Roads to Dreamland

The BlackBerry Farm books.

British Roll of Honour 1914 (privately funded photographic obituaries of the very posh people's children - gone for ever). Bound in purple velvet, white and gilt. The war had barely started...

Sounds interesting.

My Collings 001 and my gorgeous Eastman archtop, the maple and bog oak cooking knife set my son made (careful - they start to cut an inch away from the blade), and then some books.

Not based on value, but on sentiment and the memories they evoke. And since those are the only actual books I now have, apart from technical/professional ones, that means them all, blast it.

I treasure a signed copy of Thief of Time and remember my son at about eight talking to Pratchett about orang utans at the signing.

Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, which provided some quiet comfort during a difficult time.

Two volume edition of the compact OED, the pages stuffed with kids' drawings, lists, menus and other memorabilia; the inside cover of vol 2 with a signed bet that I could still beat my eldest son at squash when I was 50 and he 25, stakes £100, bet made when he was 11 (I lost and paid up, God, nearly 20 years ago).

Book of poems a friend wrote for our marriage, the only copy.

An old Gavin Lyall hardback that Angelica sought out for me one Christmas.

Couple of prize books from junior school, and Chemistry Magic from the same era.

As many Elmore Leonard 1st editions I can throw into the sack, and a well-thumbed copy of Maharishi's translation and commentary on the Gita.

I have a wonderful, huge, full colour hardback set in two volumes of all Gary Larson's cartoons, ditto a 3-vol Calvin and Hobbs, both presents from my children that I'd miss badly, but they weight a ton so I'll need help.

My own and my son's PhD theses, the former pure, concentrated memory, the latter a real work of science.

The four or five childhood books that Angelica treasures and I stagger out hoping that smoke inhalation hasn't finished me off.

The ones which have sentimental value are the childhood picture books in boxes in the loft. I'd probably not be going into the loft if there was a fire.

“Escaping Burning Houses : A Guide”

Would be a bit redundant by then.

My most favouritest books are ​(mostly) readily replaceable.



I do have various obscure Science Fiction/Fantasy books that were hard to find and are unlikely to be reprinted often (if ever), so obtaining replacement copies of these might be unduly pricey.

Also, various old travel books etc, where modern reprints would lack much of the charm of the original.

The only things that combine sentimental value, rarity/unlikeliness-to-be-reprinted-much, and (moderate) financial value are my hardback collections of stories from Battle Picture Weekly - four volumes of Johnny Red , Major Eazy/Major Eazy vs Rat Pack, plus a couple of others. I think I could easily rescue those, though I would expect people to look at me funny when I did.

wickeltish - "Poor James Michener did not leave much of an impression on some readers, at least not so much that they remember his name correctly."

True, but for the most part, he was a brilliant writer (although he had a few clunkers). For the most part, he led a brilliant life. It's worth mentioning that he grew up an orphan who never knew his parents and grew up in complete poverty.

Although "Tales of the South Pacific" was his big break and he won the Pulitzer (I never cared for the book), he later said the real stories about his adventures in the South Pacific could not be printed in the 1940s, and some of those stories as he related them decades later were far more interesting (and scandalous).

But I agree with other posters, if my house was burning down, books would be the last thing on my mind.

There's an edition of Wind in the Willows I'd be sorry to lose.

Still not read it. I was bought a copy for xmas when I was 6. Seemed a bit silly to me at the time, and since.

I think you have to play the game of the thread. In reality any books would be way down my list of what to save.

I forgot my PhD thesis, but I'd let it burn, it's shit and I've never opened it since finishing the corrections.

I have an ancient copy of Les Miserables that is very fragile. If I had time, I'd grab that.

I thought about my dissertation (and master's thesis), but heck, let 'em burn. They're part of a past that's so distant it's lost in the fog of time.

<<I think you have to play the game of the thread.>>

thank you! my small effort was to get people to say which books they own they would most miss....

though of course people are free to say, as I will, that I'd grab my wife and run for the hills.

or down the stairs, actually.