I have an amazing collection of rare and antique books that any book collector would covet, and it’s literally invaluable—in that it has no value whatsoever, except in the currencies of aesthetics or entertainment.

It started innocently enough, when a decorative tome caught my eye on Pinterest. I pinned it, then created my own board, and soon Pinterest had me pinned.

Hello. My name is Marla Cooper, and I’m an antique book addict.

My virtual library is full of beautiful books with embossed covers, art deco fonts, metallic type and well worn edges. Whenever I see a new one, I gleefully add it to my collection.

I can go into my virtual library whenever I want and mentally run my fingers over their spines. I can almost smell them: slightly musty, like a two-hundred-year-old Parisian bookshop. (It doesn’t have to be Paris, but as long as it’s a fantasy, then Paris it is!)

Okay, I get that it’s not exactly the same, but who am I to hoard all the most beautiful books for my own enjoyment? I’d feel guilty keeping these all to myself. Besides, I don’t have to maintain a relative humidity of 35%, because the risk of mold is only real when the books themselves are.

I don’t have to be a nag about people washing their hands before they look at them. And I don’t have to worry about dog-earing the pages, or whether my maintenance routine will drop the grade of my handsome, first-edition volume of Shelley from Fine to Very Good.

The other great thing about my collection? Anyone can come look at it anytime they want! And you can feel free to stop by and borrow a volume or two of your own: