Knitting books

anyone?
No, I don't mean those thin pamphlet type affairs. I mean heavy, hardcover affairs or substantial paperbacks. 
I have rather a lot of them on my shelves. I have collected them over the years. 
It began with a search in my teens. There was a book in the library - where else? - that I picked up. It was called "A knitters' almanac" by one Elizabeth Zimmermann. The book was not exactly a revelation to me, more of a relief. You could, according to Mrs Z, break the rules of knitting and still come out with something useful, wearable, interesting and actually your own work. That suited me. The problem was that I could not find a copy of the book anywhere else. I asked at three bookshops in the city and they all said they couldn't order it because, although it was in print, it wasn't on some list or other.  
The book did not fade from my memory although it disappeared from the library shelves and I did not see it again for many years.
When I did see it I bought a copy and I went on to buy copies of other books by Mrs Z - all of them interesting. There were other books too...and yarn...and more yarn...and then more books...and more yarn.  
And then I started to review books for a major knitting magazine. I could have collected those books too but I passed them on to a knitting guild. The magazine is now defunct. This is probably just as well because the guild told me they didn't want any more. I might have been tempted to keep the review copies for myself - indeed sometimes wish I had. There were some lovely books there. I would not have used them as such but they were good to look at.
So yesterday someone I know arrived with a large pile of knitting books.
     "I am sure you can use these Cat...if you can't, sell them for your African friends perhaps?"
Circumstances mean I can't do that but she left them anyway. They are sitting in a large pile by the front door. Some of them are very old and of little value but there are others which are lovely. No, I can't use them. I don't have room on the shelves...and when did I last knit a pattern that someone else wrote? 
But other people do use patterns so I sent off an email. Perhaps someone will relieve me of the pile later this week?