# Building an Antilibrary: The Power of Unread Books  ## Metadata - Author: [[Anne-Laure Le Cunff]] - Full Title: Building an Antilibrary: The Power of Unread Books - Category: #articles - Summary: The concept of an antilibrary embraces the idea that unread books hold value and can spark curiosity. Instead of focusing on books we have read, an antilibrary encourages us to collect books that represent the vastness of what we don't know, driving our curiosity and expanding our intellectual horizons. Strategies for building an antilibrary include making note of relevant references, seeking recommendations, and allowing for serendipitous discoveries to nurture a humble relationship with knowledge. - URL: https://nesslabs.com/antilibrary ## Highlights - Tsundoku (積ん読) is a beautiful Japanese word describing the habit of acquiring books but letting them pile up without reading them. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j3pgrghqngsvxxyhxntwha9s)) - an antilibrary is a private collection of unread books. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j3pgs63s4wt0wmseecy50r7c)) - —a very small minority—who get the point that a private library is not an ego-boosting appendage but a research tool. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j3pgv68w0xt0ddhrcx42epch)) - You will accumulate more knowledge and more books as you grow older, and the growing number of unread books on the shelves will look at you menacingly. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j3pgw33bsxxgbqmgvcwntgqc)) - Indeed, the more you know, the larger the rows of unread books. Let us call this collection of unread books an antilibrary. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j3pgwd2mzx1q1krn0kzkjek5)) - a private library is a research tool. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j3pgwv61j7eag147r5s3y9w8)) - The goal of an antilibrary is not to collect books you have read so you can proudly display them on your shelf; instead, it is to curate a highly personal collection of resources around themes you are curious about. Instead of a celebration of everything you know, an antilibrary is an ode to everything you want to explore. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j3pgx9p382pv4za83m7w5ehr)) - Tags: [[favorite]] - As Scottish scientist James Clerk Maxwell once said: “Thoroughly conscious ignorance is the prelude to every real advance in science.” An antilibrary is a reminder of everything we don’t know. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j3pgy1nmd61b0mbch8pthm58)) - We tend to treat our knowledge as personal property to be protected and defended. It is an ornament that allows us to rise in the pecking order. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j3pgzzfsbf9vfw3etbmp986e)) - **Make notes of all relevant references.** When an author mentions another book, check the exact reference and make a note of it. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j3ph24jq3212jc9348gh8qfd)) - Do not expect the proportion of unread books to decrease. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j3ph4jjtqnr0efmeexb9k04x)) - It is not a bad thing, it means you are progressively turning unknown unknowns into known unknowns. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j3ph4nx9ranvahgzex0vn5kd)) - Remember that knowledge is a process, not a possession. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j3ph57h729sgkp9k6egy2v5g))