In his late 70s, Albert Costa spent 10 days in a
coma after a massive heart attack. When he woke up, one thing was clear:
he would sell his life’s collection of books.
There
was a catch, however. Costa’s bookshop would not sell its products at
their market value, but at a price he personally felt they were truly
worth.
Now
83, Costa trained first as an engineer and then as an anthropologist.
He spent much of his life travelling around Africa and the Pacific
acquiring artefacts for museums. He also became a compulsive book
collector.
What he did not want was for them to
end up in a flea market where “no one knows the value of what is in
them and they sell them all for one euro”.
The solution was to open Espíritus del Agua (water spirits) in Gràcia, Barcelona, and stock it with his private collection of works on anthropology, art, philosophy and travel, as well as fiction.
The
tiny shop, crammed from floor to ceiling with books, takes its name
from an exhibition about Inuit art that Costa helped organise in 2000
for Fundació La Caixa, the cultural organisation linked to one of
Spain’s largest banks.
“I sell books but it’s a
business that barely pays the overheads,” he says. “I enjoy it because
it’s a new career. But rather than sell them all to a library, I like
people to come and look and then we can come to an agreement.” …
I’m 55 and we have 30,000+ books. I should get started, too.
This blog is mostly so I can vent my feelings and share my interests. Other than that, I am nothing special.
If you don't like Left Wing political thought and philosophy, all things related to horror, the supernatural, the grotesque, guns or the strange, then get the fuck out. I just warned you.
