Waterstone’s Piccadilly is the largest bookstore in Europe, containing six floors and over eight miles of shelving. 

Not only is it a hub for readers, but it also attracts those who collect books without reading them. 

The act of collecting books is a separate hobby from reading them, and it is known as Tsundoku. 

Tsundoku is formally defined as the acquisition of reading material but not reading them. 

It can occur for a range of reasons, from those who are eager to acquire more literature but do not read as fast, to those who view books as collectables and focus on editions and artwork. 

Some book collectors acquire more in hopes of finding rare editions, like the first edition of classical literature, or collect multiples of the same book for the varying artwork. 

However, for some, the aesthetics of the books they have does not drive their Tsundoku, but rather, they buy books they are interested in at a faster rate than they can read them. 

Many people who practise Tsundoku feel guilty at the volume of unread material they own, yet in Japanese, Tsundoku does not have any negative connotations. 

In fact, having unread literature can increase knowledge and the volume that you read. 

In Nassim Taleb’s book “The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable”, he highlights the benefits of having unread books. 

His reasoning is that being surrounded by knowledge that you do not know will serve as a reminder for the lack of knowledge, which will encourage you to learn more. 

Furthermore, attaining more literature faster than you can read indicates a passion for reading and learning, which will increase your knowledge. 

For many, having a personal book collection can bring them joy, a connection with like-minded people and the thrill of finding a rare edition. 

Even if the books are never read, fulfillment remains, which is the most important aspect of Tsundoku.