Tsundoku is a Japanese word for buying books without any intention of reading them. There are many reasons for this apparently meaningless habit, the prime one being the possessive instinct. In this aspect, it is similar to the hoarding instinct ascribed to the magpie. In fact Rossini even composed an orchestral overture called "The Thieving Magpie." Other reasons may include the wishful thinking that the unread book on the bookshelf may eventually goad one into pulling it out & start reading it!
This mentality seems to have invaded the vinyl LP buying public also. It is believed that about half of vinyl LP record buyers in USA, do not even own a turntable!
So one can take the only consolation from the above that the buyers at least economically support the book & record industry while denying themselves the cultural pleasure of reading the book or listening to the record.
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