Downsizing a Literary Legacy: Professors Let Go of 9,000 Books

Academic heavyweights, Dan Healey, 68, and Mark Cornwall, 67, embarked on an extraordinary journey to simplify their lives by parting with 9,000 books. The double professors, who have collectively taught at the University of Southampton and the University of Oxford, realized they had accumulated an excessive collection in their offices and at home. With the aim of reducing their clutter ahead of retirement, they began the monumental task of shedding unwanted books.

Key Takeaways:

• The couple started downsizing their collection in 2022, with an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 books in each of their offices and 3,000 at home.
• The process was informally led by Mark Cornwall, who adopted the philosophy of Marie Kondo, keeping only items that "spark joy."
• Dan Healey, who held a Pimm's party at his college, invited students to take books they wanted, resulting in 1,000 books being shed in a day.
• Remaining books were donated to charity shops, universities, and the Wellcome Trust, while foreign-language books were difficult to dispose of until the couple discovered the Cotswold Canals Trust.
• Healey has kept books with sentimental value, such as ones written with personal dedications and others acquired during his academic travels.
• The book collection is now approximately half its original size, and the couple will use the proceeds to fund the construction of three bespoke bookshelves in their new home.

Statistics:

• 9,000 total books in the couple's original collection
• 2,000 - 3,000 books in each of the professors' offices
• 3,000 books at home
• 1,000 books shed at a single Pimm's party
• 5,000 - 6,000 donations to charity shops, universities, and the Wellcome Trust
• Occupation of the kitchen pantry by 100+ LGBTQ history books awaiting donation
• 3 bespoke bookshelves to be constructed in the new home

Sources:

• The Telegraph