Godly Long Reads- Desert Island type question...

[UKPuritan40]

Greetings Folks,

I've not posted on here in donkey's years. Glad to see the board still flourishes.

I am in the process of "dejunking" and that sadly is going to have to include some books! At some point, unless God's providence is that I die in Situ, we east Coasties will move east again and our joint library is voluminous to say the least. When new people come into our living room we've at times heard the comment "Wow, you can tell your husband is a minister..." to which husband says "Those are Susan's books, mine are in my office more or less." (okay there are piles of his books all over too, but most of the shelved are my collection.)

Realistically, I'm not going to be able to read all of these, or even a fraction of these between now and death. (I'm nearly 57 and chronic pain makes reading with books harder than it used to be) SO...here is the question..

Assuming you are pretty solid on Puritan/Reformed/Confessional Theology and aren't keeping books for the purpose of getting that straightened out...Based on the profitability to your soul...what 3 books or multi-volume sets (especially these!) would you keep to read in your last years? Feel free to rattle off more than three in hopes of you naming 3 I have.

Current leanings...to keep for sure..
1. Works of John Owen Banner of Truth set.
2 The 6 Volume Puritan Sermon's series.
3. Works of Thomas Boston
4. Work of Thomas Goodwin.
5. Husband has the Turretin 3 set, and thinking we'll keep that but it doesn't count as it's his and I couldn't get rid of if I wanted to.

Is this all too overlappy? I've enjoyed deeply 1/3/4 (print is small on no. 3)
I have bunches more so please mention what you've been super encouraged by.
?

Any help or thoughts is appreciated. For now I'm inclined to just keep knocking off singles smaller books so i can pass them on, donate to church library and friends etc. But part of me then says "wait, if these are the best (outside of Scripture) profitable books, you should read those FIRST- limited time remember?

On a related note, I've heard some tell that they found the most affordable way to move masses of books isn't by moving truck but to start sending them via media mail to a future address. Anyone know anything about this?

With Christian Regards,
Susan

 

[py3ak]

Three profitable sets that instruct without exhausting:

1. Thomas Manton, 22 volumes.
2. Richard Sibbes, 7 volumes.
3. George Swinnock, 5 volumes.

 

[Joshua]

Howdy, Susan! Hope y'all are well.

For me, the Works of Richard Sibbes would be a definite keeper. Titles such as The Soul's Conflict, The Returning Backslider, and Bowels Opened have been quite indispensably profitable to me.

Edit: Ruben beat me to the punch on Sibbes. I concur.

I'd have to think long and hard on the 2 others. A very difficult choice.

 

[UKPuritan40]

Greetings Joshua, We're doing pretty well, thank you. Hope you are also well!
I don't know why Sibbes slipped my mind, except I don't have his complete works, that would mean...ahem..ADDING to the pile (-: So my next query will need to be a post saying "who should I axe?" from my shelves! One in, one out! that's the rule!

 

[UKPuritan40]

Three profitable sets that instruct without exhausting:

1. Thomas Manton, 22 volumes.
2. Richard Sibbes, 7 volumes.
3. George Swinnock, 5 volumes.

Thank you, I'll put these in the running! I don't have the complete Sibbes as yet.

 

[JimmyH]

I know people who've used media mail to transport their libraries and it seems to have been the best alternative. Though I am a layman, I am a bibliophile from way back, and I also will probably never be able to read all I have unless the Lord gives me thirty more years, which would make me 100 ! I have the sets by Owen, Boston, and Goodwin. Keepers for me.

 

[UKPuritan40]

I know people who've used media mail to transport their libraries and it seems to have been the best alternative. Though I am a layman, I am a bibliophile from way back, and I also will probably never be able to read all I have unless the Lord gives me thirty more years, which would make me 100 ! I have the sets by Owen, Boston, and Goodwin. Keepers for me.

Thank you Jimmy H, Keepers indeed! I was just saying to my DH that seriously, I expect I'd be doing well to get through even ONE of the above sets and that is even IF I were to be given 30 more years! I think I need to start setting reading goals. Chronic pain makes holding books or sitting up to read them more painful that I'd like and I so wish all of my favorites were on high quality audio but alas, it is what it is. I probably should take the "how do you eat an elephant" approach and just go through these a tiny bit at a time, but my tendency is to want to keep reading!!! I am pleased to be able to have several excellent things on audible from my short membership there however, Calvin's commentaries, Rutherfords Letters, Matthew Henry Concise etc.

 

[JimmyH]

Thank you Jimmy H, Keepers indeed! I was just saying to my DH that seriously, I expect I'd be doing well to get through even ONE of the above sets and that is even IF I were to be given 30 more years! I think I need to start setting reading goals. Chronic pain makes holding books or sitting up to read them more painful that I'd like and I so wish all of my favorites were on high quality audio but alas, it is what it is. I probably should take the "how do you eat an elephant" approach and just go through these a tiny bit at a time, but my tendency is to want to keep reading!!! I am pleased to be able to have several excellent things on audible from my short membership there however, Calvin's commentaries, Rutherfords Letters, Matthew Henry Concise etc.

Approaching these sets to choose what to read can be daunting, since there is so much material that may not be generally commented on, hence an unknown quantity. Here is an article from 2009, by Joel Beeke, giving some suggestions on 'Reading Thomas Goodwin.'
If you have Joel Beeke's 'Meet the Puritans,' at the end of each bio he gives an overview of their literary output, and rates those examples that are outstanding must reads.
I'm sorry to hear of your chronic pain. Though I love hard copies, turning pages with a book in my lap, I've learned to appreciate the Kindle for some of my reading.
Sometimes I think about selling much of what I've accumulated and going digital for all but those I am attached to. The space saving would be phenomenal.