Me and my love of books

My mom's room had a huge floor-to-ceiling bookshelf that fit hundreds of books and took up half of her room. My room had a smaller but still respectable one, full of children's books. For a long time, I thought this was normal, something all homes had.

It wasn't until I entered school and was surrounded by kids stumbling over written words while I could easily read entire sentences that I had an inkling my surroundings might be special. We weren't rich, but we never ran out of books and my mother use to read for me everyday.

Once she taught me to read the chapter names (because the letters were bigger), I couldn't wait to dive into their contents. After I'd read through all the children's books in my room, I was introduced to the public library. There, I'd occasionally bicker with the librarian, telling her that setting a limit of 10 books at once was just too cruel. I was enamored with books, and that feeling never really faded.

Years later, I asked my mother where all those books came from. She told me that my grandparents, both scientists, had a habit of buying one book per week. I never knew them because they died very young, but I feel like I can tell so much about them from reading the same books they did.

To this day, I haven't read all the books that are my grandparents' legacy, and I might never finish them all. But I am deeply connected to the anthology they created. That's why I never feel guilty about buying books or having too many to read at once.

They are my own anthology now.

Why preloved English books?

I think books should not be a luxury item; the knowledge and empathy that can be gained from books should never be made inaccessible. Books should not have only one owner or be read only once! There should be less waste and more re-homed books.

That is why I aim for my shop to be a sustainable and affordable place for book lovers, with hand-picked selections and a healthy mix between classic and contemporary titles.

Anthologia’s supplier is a B Corp company, meeting the highest societal and environmental standards, carbon neutral, and part of the circular economy.

Finally, our packaging is minimal and made from recycled materials.

I hope you have a great experience in my shop and find your next favorite book.