Jul 22, 2025 07:30 IST First published on: Jul 22, 2025 at 07:30 ISTShareThe Oxfam Bookshop in East Sussex, England, just had the unlikeliest of windfalls. Rockstar Nick Cave, whose personal library has featured in art exhibitions, donated over 2,000 books to the shop. Scores of his fans are thronging to the bookstore to get their hands on the pre-owned works. The collection reportedly includes books by Salman Rushdie, Christopher Hitchens and Ian McEwan, as well as on philosophy, art and sundry subjects. In essence, it is the eclectic library of a true bibliophile. For Cave’s fans, it’s a chance to get their hands on a novel where he may have underlined a passage or a line, and perhaps gain insight into the influences that went into making the artist. The library, and the love of a used book, though, is also a reminder of a time gone by.There is a drab utilitarianism, driven by a soulless algorithm, in the contemporary relationship with the written word. There’s the well-produced audiobook — complete with voice actors and sound effects to act as prosthetics for the imagination — that people can “consume” on a walk or a drive. A couple of clicks and the rarest of books can be downloaded on an e-reader, without the hassle of bookshelves occupying real estate. And the physical book, when it is desired, can be ordered from a website. Perhaps this convenience is welcome. It could be seen as a democratic flattening of knowledge and culture, wiping away superfluous and supercilious hierarchies and creating the great beast known as “content”.AdvertisementWhat is lost, though, is serendipity. The chance discovery at a used bookstore, the conversation with friends after you have finished the borrowed book they insisted you read, the complaints about the inveterate book thief who refuses to return a cherished, inscribed novel. There is an aura of authenticity to that world gone by, howsoever distorted by the sepia-tinted lens of nostalgia. A book from or recommended by someone you know, on a shelf in the home, feels more real than words on a screen. Perhaps, that’s why a musician’s library has so many takers.