What ya gonna do with your books when you're deid?

[Colin Macqueen]

Gentlemen,
Here's a thought. Set them free!  Dinna fash yersel' aboot them being purloined!

Simply ensure that they have your moniker on the fly cover and ensure that your off-spring cart them off to your golf club. This fine set of tomes is delivered with the understanding that all and sundry can TAKE them! They will find a new home but your name will be immortalised in many a home where budding GCA geeks may be nurtured!

Yes it may go against the Scottish grain to give 'em away but you never know in which land or in what context your name and a thought of you might be immortalised. My only caveat is that Paul Daley's Architectural Volumes must be taken as a whole!!! Such a problem will beset few!

Now Marty this may seem contradictory to the Scottish mien but the temperature here in outer Brisbane has climbed to 112*F so that may explain my generosity and largesse!

Seriously though the question has bugged me and I really know of no other sensible solution.

Cheers Colin

[Carl Johnson]

It would be nice to leave them to my club, but I've already put a couple of valuable (in the sense of both (1) $$$ and (2) rare and relevant to our local history) books on their shelves and they've both been stolen.  

Asked the prickly northerner, WHY did you just leave them there? . . . .

Ron, serious answer.  I thought it would be a nice gesture. Our club doesn't have a library, but in our small foyer there is a decorative bookcase which has things like photos, maybe a trophy or two, and some golf books on it.  I took it upon myself to add four books from my collection.  Two are still there.  In each book I placed a note stating that I had donated it to the club, and asked that it not be removed from the club.

All of the books had relevance of some sort to our club, but the one that's been taken that really irks me is "Just Let Me Play": The Story of Charlie Sifford, by Charlie Sifford with James Gullo, in the original hardback edition, published by British American Publishing.  Sifford grew up as a caddy at our club and learned to play there in the days of segregation.  He mentions his experience at the club in the book.  Although not universally loved by those who remember him from the early days, Sifford's history with the club is acknowledged with framed newspaper articles about him on our walls.  Several years ago he moved back to Charlotte and one day came out to the club to play with some friends.  Learning that he was there, I met him in the pro shop after his round and asked him to autograph one of the two copies of the book I had -- autograph it specifically to the club -- which he graciously did.  I kept my other copy unautographed, but put the copy Sifford had autographed to our club on the book shelf.  It did not last long.

So, given the autograph, it was appropriate to leave the book at the club, and I informed our GM that I had placed the book on the shelf.  At the time I was not so naive as to believe that none of the books would ever be stolen, yet it still is disappointing to have it happen.  Obviously, I've not donated any more books and do not intend to do so in the future.  In addition to the Sifford book, I have duplicates of the others as well, so my personal collection remains intact.  By the way, the other stolen book was Drive for Show, Putt for Dough: Memoirs of a Golf Hustler, by [infamous Charlotte golfer] Leon Crump and John Stravinsky.  Fortunately, I kept my copy of that book that was autographed by Crump for myself and placed my unautographed duplicate at the club.    

[Rich Goodale]

To me the best solution is to find a reputable and solvent charitable foundation who will agree to:

--accepting the collection at an agreed to "price" (for estate valuation purposes)
--allowing public access to all books (within reason)
--marketing excess copies of each book at retail to help fund the foundation (with approval of donor)

This foundation should be in the USA, as that is where ~90% of the market for these books is located.

[Ally Mcintosh]

To me the best solution is to find a reputable and solvent charitable foundation who will agree to:

--accepting the collection at an agreed to "price" (for estate valuation purposes)
--allowing public access to all books (within reason)
--marketing excess copies of each book at retail to help fund the foundation (with approval of donor)

This foundation should be in the USA, as that is where ~90% of the market for these books is located.

This.

Key here is marketing excess copies at retail price. I'm in to artificially inflated book prices about as much as I'm in to ticket touts.

[Jeff_Brauer]

I've always presumed that the good members of GCA.com would beat a path to my door and run over my widow in an attempt  to get at their favorite volumes in my vast collection......

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

RJ,

Edinburgh is cool all year round.

Enjoy, and happy new year...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKg73uOXi48


Malcolm

[Carl Rogers]

Write this site and ask who wants them.  I do have an signed copy of TD's Anatomy of a Golf Course, while I was at the Bay of Dreams in 06.

[Ian Andrew]

Mine will go the library at the University of Guelph.

I'm a graduate
Its the only Ontario LA program left
Its the Turf School in Ontario
They house the Stanley Thompson collection of drawings too.
It is well run...

I was asked by the University - a few years back - to work with an appraiser evaluating the last major Stanley Thompson donation. It consisted of massive collection of drawings for 37 different projects. The collected works needed a value and I was there to provide context on each individual piece. I wasn't there to set prices. That was an amazing experience because there were some major surprises inside that answered questions. And some original rough layouts he drew. Very cool.

[David Minogue]

How about circulating them to people who have use for them. Plenty of young guys like myself are trying to build our own library and add to our education. I have no problem paying reasonable prices for the books but some which are at $500 are well out of a students price range!!!

[Neil White]

Should any of my kids show an interest - a genuine interest - in the subject then I would have no hesitation in them having my collection.  

Conversely, if the interest in GCA ends with me then I would want them to go somewhere where they would best benefit the next generation of wannabe architects.

The EIGCA has a library that provides a loan-service to both members and non-members - that seems to me to be the best outlet - at the moment at least.

[Matthew Mollica]

Martin - great discussion point. I've been thinking about the possibilities for the last day or two, and have come up with four possibilities / suggestions.


1. The books are donated to GCA.com, where an auction could take place, and the recipients will obviously value them, and pay a reasonably appropriate price for them, with proceeds going to the upkeep of golfclubatlas.com

2. They could be gifted to Cabot Links, or alternatively, we could build a register of Clubs with libraries, where the access and safety of books is deemed appropriate by the forum members here. For example, I know Royal Melbourne cherishes their library, and manages it very well. Perhaps a Club without a library, but a Club we think could be an appropriate custodian might get the foundation of a library from GCAers generosity.

3. Those books of particular title and topic could be periodically forwarded to an appropriate Society. For example, books on MacKenzie could go to the MacKenzie Society. Ross likewise, and same with Colt, Tillinghast etc.

4. Martin - arguably my finest idea, is that you purchase a modest shop front not far from the first tee of the Old Course, and run a small wine bar. All the books go there. The books may be read while drinking, and dining on the modest but appropriate menu, but books must not be removed from the bar. With a strong local property market, I propose GCA chips in, purchases the shop front for you, and holds the asset in trust, for the benefit of future GCA members...

MM