Tsundoku: The Japanese Art of Collecting Books

Publisher: Cassell
Publish date: 2 April 2026
Pages: 200
Binding: Hardcover
Language: English

Subjects: Art, History, Asian, Japanese, Techniques, Crafts & Hobbies, Reference, Book Printing & Binding, Literary Criticism, Books & Reading

An ode to the quiet joy of collecting more books than we could ever possibly read - and loving them all the same...

Drawing on the evocative Japanese term tsundoku - first coined in the Meiji era to describe the growing stacks of unread books that accumulate around devoted readers - this insightful and warmly humorous book reframes what some might see as clutter or guilt as a deeply meaningful way of living.

From the tactile pleasure of flipping through pages to the quiet ritual of rearranging overflowing shelves, Tsundoku explores the psychology, culture, and poetry behind the irresistible urge to collect and cherish books. It offers meditations on the joy of choosing and buying books, the rebellion against reading lists, creative ways to organise your shelves, foolproof excuses for sneaking in yet another new title, techniques for remembering what you've read, and the guilty - but glorious - pleasure of re-reading.

Above all, this philosophy reminds us that we do not necessarily have to have read all the books we own to love them unconditionally. Feelings of guilt, be gone! Unread books can be even more fascinating because they take us on wonderful journeys, and speak to us regardless, whether we open them or keep them closed. We know that books are a cure for the soul: just touching one, smelling one, or leafing through one makes us feel better immediately.