By Joyce Hobbs

I think most people in the Sherlockian world know that my husband is an avid (rabid?) collector of Sherlock Holmes. For the past few months he has not been traveling as much with his job and has been working from home. He is the Help Desk and Web-Ex expert for his company. As he must be near his computer all day, it is quite easy to keep the "eBay" window open while working. All sorts of Sherlock Holmes books are available at various prices. Some of these are a bargain for the person who has the time to bid and can stay on top of the bidding. My husband receives books from somewhere just about every week. He knows the postperson on a first name basis and the timing of her route. Heaven forbid that she should take a day off or be sick. If this person happens to bring a package for me…Woe! I made the mistake of asking my husband one evening in front of a toasty fire with a wonderful glass of merlot, if he would ever have enough books? At our age shouldn’t we be paring down? (Note: my husband spent weeks cleaning and purging in the garage during this stay at home.) I was in a mood to get rid of things that I once thought I couldn’t live without. I thought he should be as well. Needless to say, Don was at a loss for words. This is no small fete as anyone who knows Don would attest. He got up out of the chair and walked away without answering me. I thought he might not be in the mood to discuss such a deep subject. Actually, later I forgot that I had asked that question. A day or so later, Don said to me, "You really scared me the other day." My brain was rolling thinking what I could have done that was so scary. Nothing came to mind. He says, "The day you asked me if I would ever have enough books."

Oh that.

I was informed that as a bona fide collector one was never finished. The collection was never complete. There is always the hunt. Now this is good news for me as well. I collect Eiffel Tower memorabilia as well as anything Fleur-de-lis. Just because my little shelf in the foyer is filled to the brim with all my "collectibles" does not mean that I have to stop collecting. Hooray!!! What is good for the goose is good for the gander. I am hoping that this clarification helps all of those with the "Collection Mania." The title of Maniac Collector makes so much more sense now!