Your ages?

Hi,
Was just wondering what the average age of folio society devotees is. I'm 22 and just joined. I think i have spent my whole scholarship on FS books. Was worth it though ;p

I'm 64 physical and 43 mental (I just did a test on facebook that told me so).

I put my age in the original thread.

However many years older since the last time this question was asked. :-)

Wow, it's been quite awhile since that thread was active! I've crossed into a whole new decade since then! (Turned 30 a couple of months ago...)

(ETA: posted in original thread)

I'm 24. I didn't expect so many of us young'uns in here actually, nice that we're still reading when the newspapers say we're all out binge drinking or staying in vegetating to glee (no offence to alcoholics or fans of sickly American TV shows) :-P

>1 d-b:
I know exactly what you mean about spending all your money on them. I'd be out of debt by now (not to mention have room to turn around in my flat) if only I hadn't started buying Folios.

Just turned 30 today

Happy birthday!

I'm at the other end of the scale... 76

(In answer to > 48: Not included in old thread)

im 31 and counting

overthemoon, where on Facebook can you find this test? I believe that I'm slipping.

30 as well.

28 :P

41 and enjoying it :)

Just 34

>10 varielle: it was on a contact's page, I'll see if I can find a link.

I'm 49, but think something must be wrong with my arithmetic - I can't possibly be 50 next year!

25

<8 Ha, just a youngster, I am 78 ( but falling apart very fast).

>8 drasvola: Ha, just a youngster. I am 78 (but falling apart very fast).
And I posted in the first thread.

> 19

We'll hear nothing of the sort... We're the young-at-heart, dynamic, active, FS devotees for years to come... all the very best!

> 5

I'm 25 and a big fan of Glee AND literature for the record!

I just turned 40 a couple weeks ago. Still adjusting.

But I was 23 or 24 when I first joined the FS.

33 this October...

I'm 44. I joined at the end of 1991.
48> I wasn't in the original thread.

> 5

I'm 35 and a binge drinker for the record!

33 years. I joined when I was 30 and just finally defending and getting out of grad school.

27, been a member for a year.

>10 varielle: here it is
http://mymentalage.com/

My mental age is 34 which is considerably better than reality. Just confirms that I've never grown up. Makes me wish I hadn't squandered the real 34.

I'm 52 and have been a Folio Society member since the mid 90's.

26

Just turned 50, been a FS member since 2009.

My mental age is also 34.

45

The Age begins with A Space Odyssey;
Take away Eric’s dystopia;
In addition, Charles Dickens suffers an initial reverse in Rome;
The temperature falls by Ray’s measure;
And Dodie’s dogs are taken out
And divided by Vonnegut at the slaughterhouse.
Musketeers to the rescue: they multiply (and arrive at Buchan’s steps).
Dumas’s sequel adds to the years;
Finally, take away the Cuckoo’s Nest.

I.e., a mental age which could usefully be higher than it is.

> 48 Yes, Iposted in the old thread - and gave a straight answer!

27. I first joined folio when I was 20 after realizing how jealous I was of all my grandpa's Nonesuch and Heritage Press books. I think people thought I was odd and didn't understand how books could possibly compete against alcohol for a young student's limited funds. Lucky for me I managed to save enough for both.

33

Edit: Posted age before

physical age 54, mental age 36, joined Folio when I was younger than my current mental age. I think it was 1986 or so.

Thanks everyone for responding. Glad to see there are a few other university age members who know how to prioritize their limited funds. Really what else is there to buy though? I spent this fortnights food money on the book of common prayer. haha.

mental 35, physical 43, It used to be around the average devotee age..Feeling happy about young people joininng..in. (Oh sh-t that's soo middle aged..)

>21 Witchylady333:

I didn't mean to suggest that Glee and literature were mutually exclusive interests, just my surprise that so many Folio lovers were under 25 :-P

I don't know how any of us have the money for it. Or how anyone over 25 does for that matter. Doh.

23

>41 LipstickAndAviators:

I agree, this is not the best time in one's life to get addicted to fine books...

28 although the last 10 years have gone so fast that they seem a blur and that I can't grasp that we're in 2011. I really did think at this point we would be flying cars, ordering strawberry and vanilla milkshake and living in a society with beautiful women and spreading international peace and security in accordance with international law.

I'm 24

69 next week, and bought my first FS volume in the early 1960s. Sadly that doesn't mean I have 45+ years of Folio books, as it's been an on-and-off membership (some years I had to eat).

I'm 17, but I'm not the one paying for the books. I leech off my parents =P Though of course I keep an eye on budget.

Chronological Age=66. Mental Age (see above)=32. IQ=MA/CA=48. Spot on.

Edited in reply to >48 Ealhmund:: also on old thread.

Last time we did this, I tracked the input and posted stats. That thread (now dormant) is here.

If you'll edit your posts above (please, not in the original thread) to note if you had already posted your age in the original thread, I'll try to update the stats by adding only those who have only posted their age here. But I have to know if you're already included in the original or you'll be double counted.

Using only the input from the original thread, the current stats are:

82 who have offered up their age
Average age - 43.1
Median age - 44 (the age in the middle of a list sorted by age)
Max age - 78
Min age - 16
Std. Deviation - 13.2

Unfortunately, I can't be sure if I've accounted for anyone who may have passed away.

Our youngest was Iresia. We've not heard from her in awhile, and her last new book entry was Feb 2010.

Os.

Os, are you accounting for the passage of time? Have you adjusted the ages collected previously to account for the time lapse? Just curious :)

Went back (see > 8, 28) and my mental age is 31!! Who puts together these tests?

ETA Not included in old thread.

Makes your IQ even lower than mine, Antonio.

> 50

Fascinating! No use arguing or fighting against hard facts... I guess we are a select minority, affle.

>49 beatlemoon:

I put all of the entries from before into a spreadsheet, which uses the date of the post and the age to estimate current age (assuming the date of the post was halfway between birthdays, unless the post included more info, and using integer ages only). So, if you compare the stats, above, to the last posted stats in the original thread, you'll see that the average age of the same population has increased by a little over one year. The change in the standard deviation I attribute to tying the age to the date of the post and using integer ages only. This would cause the StD to 'jump' related to periods of numerous postings vs periods of few postings.

Os.

>53 Ealhmund:

How clever! (Clearly I am not a numbers person - it's probably a really basic setup you're using!) Thanks for keeping track - it's interesting.

If my body is feeling old I say I'm in my 61st year; otherwise I'm twice the thirty years my mind thinks I am . . .

. . . and that silly quiz says I have a mental age of 48 . . . but who can tell when one starts loosing brain cells in the 20's . . .

I'm surprised that there aren't more people in their fifties. I'm just 52. No idea what my mental age is, but I have just applied to go back to university to do an MA.

>56 RMMee:

According to the quiz overthemoon posted, my mental age is 50.

Huh. Looks like I'm the only one so far whose mental age is older than their actual.

Just done the test and come out with a mental age of 42. Not that I'm sure I fully understood some of the questions!!!!

Physical age 41, mental age 37 and I joined FS 5 years ago.

Physical age 44, mental age 47 (it went up probably because of the all Ipods, Ipads and other such thing in the test, I find them quite unnecessary). Joined FS in 2001.

I'm surprised that there aren't more people in their fifties. I'm just 52.
I am (in my fifties)! 52 too. Mental age of 40, whatever that means.
Haven't got a precise joining date for FS, but it was round about the late 80s.

I'm 25 in real life, but according to the test my mental age is 40. I joined FS when I was 19, pretty much the second I left university and got a full-time job. I expect I was 40 in mental years back then as well.

>48 Ealhmund: I also posted in the old thread

30, mental age 38 - why I am not surprised that my mental age is higher?

Haven't posted in the original thread. Joined Folio a few years ago - after I knew I can afford them and switched from "cheapest copy I can find" to "the copy that I actually like" :)

---Methinks they compliment the young for mental maturity... and us older farts for our young hearts.. As a flattery, it's old as Methuselah..(.But don't we all feel good about it?)

29

Here are the stats, conflating the old thread (with stats 'aged') and this thread (new posters only). I just searched the old thread for the posters on this thread to make sure I didn't double count anyone.

Newest stats:

114 who have offered up their age
Average age - 41.6
Median age - 43 (the age in the middle of a list sorted by age)
Max age - 78
Min age - 16
Std. Deviation - 13.7

I only know of one who has passed away since posting to the old thread. Otherwise, everyone who posted on the old thread remains in the stats, though I know some might not be active FS member any longer, and I know some are not active FS devotee members any longer (LesMis, for one). But unless I know they've passed away, I'm pretty sure they still have their FS books, so I'm counting them.

Os.
54 yrs chrono; 46 mental. Funny, when I was in my 20s, everyone thought I was about 10 yrs older. Now that I'm in my 50s, everyone thinks I'm in my 40s. I think that's a good thing.

>66 Ealhmund:

See! The average ages have gone down! Time passes yet we as Folio subscribers get younger all the time. Interesting. Flies in the face of that 'young people are becoming illiterate' campaign the Evening Standard are running. Sort of. I did pass a teen girl in a train station reading Thomas Hardy yesterday, so that reassured me we are still doing ok.

Everyone thinks I'm 10 years older than I am too, I don't put it down as being a good thing though - just put it down to the receeding hairline and scruffy facial hair. Ah well!

>68 LipstickAndAviators:

It is misleading to say the average age has goine down. It probably only means that most of the newest members of this group are younger, and perhaps also that older people are less likely to join forums like this.

for the rest, I am 58, and first joined FS in 1982. and I did not respond to the original survey.

Surely saying 'the newest members of this group are younger' is pretty equivalent to saying that the average age has gone down? I'm not sure joining a forum on fine publications is really seen as a young person thing to do either and young people are no more likely to be joining now than they were for the last topic? I'm not sure what age I'd think most likely to join this sort of forum. Early 40s by the looks of things I guess!

My post was meant to be quite light hearted and silly anyway, I'm a mathematician (by degree if not current job) and quite aware that a tiny decrease of an average age after a small sample of people have added new data is hardly conclusive towards anything. I'm just really expressing my surprise that so many young people are buying these books, I expect it of you more mature folk ;-)

>70 LipstickAndAviators:
Yes, I too am surprised by how many younger members there are of this group - quite welcoming, but I have only started collecting in the last few years because I have only just reached the stage where I can afford to do so!

>28 overthemoon: Interesting, I just took the quiz and my mental age is the same as my chronological age (42). Is this a good thing??

Just took the test.
My mental age is 51.
That sounds about right for a 78 year old. Also, people take me for 60, so I have kept my good looks
but my boyish figure has gone to hell.

41

I just turned 51 (ugh!) and my mental age is 32. I think thy gears are stuck somewhere. I joined FS in 1985...so many years.

Here's a chart of the current age distribution: http://www.librarything.com/pic/248608

Os.

I'm 63, but can't believe it; I feel much younger. I joined the Heritage Club when I was 20 and was in and out of that until 1994. Just joined the Folio Society this year.

>77 dubuquer1970: You have the pleasure of emptying your disposal bank funds on a regularly. I hope you have an understanding spouse.

My daughter just took the test, and it seems that mentally she's 6 years older than I am. Quite an interesting thing, to be younger than your offspring.

I'm 16 years of age (not sure about mental age, but I'm very mature for my age), which makes me one of the youngest according to the graph.

What I find a bit surprising is the dip for the 31-40 bracket. I would have expected a smooth bell-shaped curve. But I was never very good at statistics...

I am 52 and have been an on again off again member of FS for 20 years or so. I dread moving!!

(I am truly surprised at the age of this group - although have to bear in mind that those of us 50 and up are late arrivers to the internet world and therefore likely to be less active on the web?

I am 70. I have collected EP and FL books for over 35 years, but have added FS to the mix about three years ago.

>81 drasvola:
Drasvola, my theory about the dip is children. Time to participate in a forum like this and money to buy books like that are both affected by starting a family.

Os

> 84

That could be very well the explanation. Thank you, Os.

I'm 32 and I'm fully committed to the principle of valuing books over children. I have enough nieces and nephews (6 and counting!) to keep me bankrupt without having children of my own as a drain my book budget!

Like the OP, I'm also 22. According to the quiz my mental age is 42. I think I'm happy with that, but as a Jewish woman, there's something evvvvver so slightly unnerving in nearly doubling my age in two minutes. I was thinking I'd need decades to process being fortysomething. And I think I was probably right...

My, my. :D

Okay, I'm posting new stats and a new chart. I went through the old thread to add LT names to the ages in my spreadsheet so I could be sure I'm not including duplicates, and in doing so, found a few. Plus, I've added the latest posts to this thread. Not a big change, but here it is.

The average age of an FS member who is also an LT member, and reads this thread, and has posted an age.

Newest stats:

116 who have offered up their age
Average age - 41.5
Median age - 42 (the age in the middle of a list sorted by age)
Max age - 78
Min age - 16
Std Dev - 14

Updated chart - http://www.librarything.com/pic/248677

Os.

For once, I'm average. :)

> 86 I have 18 nieces and nephews (not counting the children of frien ds of mine) so I am empathetic to your thoughts about those same nieces and nephews doing a cashsectomy on the wallet.

>90 Barton: Yes, I'm worried that I'll just keep accumulating nieces and nephews for a few more years yet. They're all charming and adorable, but they do insist on having birthdays so frequently... And eighteen is quite an impressive number! It makes me think of The Hobbit when all those dwarves keep coming through Bilbo's door.

>88 Ealhmund: Thanks Os for updating all these fascinating statistics!

>91 SpoonFed: When we all gather for Thanksgiving, Christmas or our midsummer BBQ and pool party it is quite the sight.

I can't believe I was 23 when I started the other thread. I'm 26 now, I feel so old... :(

>93 dtpena:
Look at the chart - you're not going to get much sympathy from this lot. :-)

--Chart--

Os.

I'm 42, but that's okay; that is what I thought I was all of last year, too.

(And, yes, it is the amazingly accurate answer to life, the universe and everything.)

44

The average age of an FS member who is also an LT member, and reads this thread, and has posted an age.

Newest stats (the last two posts just tightened up the Std Dev a bit; the rest are unchanged):

117 who have offered up their age
Average age - 41.5
Median age - 42 (the age in the middle of a list sorted by age)
Max age - 78
Min age - 16
Std Dev - 13.9

Updated chart - http://www.librarything.com/pic/248677

Os.

I am 40 but will be 41 October 20th, so feel free to move my age at that time.

Glad to know I am still below average and median age!

Joined Folio in 2000. 451 books and around $20,000 later....

I'm 18, mental age is 47 :O, no idea how that works out.

43

Just checked my mental age, 44, not too much different from my actual age (49 - already posted).

My hair and toenails are a year old, my brain 18, my teeth 35 plus, and my tongue 47.

Age 49.95 (50 on September 15th). Mental age according to the test: 44.

> 103

Test?

Ignorant bliss.

> 104

http://mymentalage.com/

Originally posted by overthemoon in > 28

> 106

No!

Mental age 43 - not bad considering I'm 44!

My Mental age is also 43 - not bad considering I'm 77.

>102 cronshaw:
cronshaw,

Which is your physical age for inserting into the stats? Can I assume the same age as your tongue, as is typical for our species?

Os.

The average age of an FS member who is also an LT member, and reads this thread, and has posted an age.

Newest stats (not much change):

122 who have offered up their age
Average age - 41.8
Median age - 42 (the age in the middle of a list sorted by age)
Max age - 77 (dropped from previous post due to updated info from rbott)
Min age - 16
Std Dev - 14.2

Updated the chart - http://www.librarything.com/pic/256862

Os.

updated on 2011-08-29 to include input received through post 113

Mental age 41 - I'm 43

For what it's worth, unless I see an option covers the 'other' answers, it's loaded and rubbish.

I`m 77 - where did all those years go? And the older you get, the faster they go.

48 (32 mental). 10 years Folio @ 150 volumes.

Okay. Just updated post 110 to capture the last two volunteers, and updated the distribution chart as well.

Os.

just joined at 24

Hm, mental age is 37. Actual age 25. I hope me and my mental age meet in the middle somewhere!

58

I was born in 1518 in the village of Glenfinnan, on the shores of Loch Shiel......and I am immortal.

And your mental age, Connor?

>118 SaxonWarlord:

Determined to ruin the std. dev., are you? Fortunately, I know your true age (plus or minus a few months, anyway).

Os.

I am 48 and have been an on again, off again member of FS since 1992.

ETA Not included in old thread.

Interesting thread, I also expected an older crowd. Most likely selection bias towards those active online.

Physical age - 38
Mental age - 39

FS member since 1991.

I stopped ageing years ago. Such a waste of time. All you have to do is get enough exercise, sleep, low stress, healthy diet, and follow the instructions in your Necronomicon...

>123 astropi:
" follow the instructions in your Necronomicon"

I missed that FS publication. Is it still available?

Os.

>122 kcshankd:

Great point.

>122 kcshankd:

Keep in mind, the OP is asking for ages of folio society devotees, which I take to mean people who post to the "Folio Society devotees" group forum. Also note the carefully worded title for posting stats - "The average age of an FS member who is also an LT member, and reads this thread, and has posted an age"

Thus, the stats are not biased, as presented, unless you believe willingess to read this thread and post an age to be a function of age. You are, however, probably correct in observing that the people who would respond by posting to this thread are going to be somewhat active internet users and, thus, generally biased toward the younger end of the range of Folio Society book owners.

Os.

35

The average age of an FS member who is also an LT member, and reads this thread, and has posted an age.

Newest stats (slight drop in average age):

128 who have offered up their age
Average age - 41.5
Median age - 42 (the age in the middle of a list sorted by age)
Max age - 78
Min age - 16
Std Dev - 14.2

Updated chart - http://www.librarything.com/pic/266688

Os.

FS member since 1988 and my age is 58.

FS member on and off since the mid-Nineties and my age is 37.

>129 squire:, 130

See - average of 58 and 37 = 42.5; the average has held around 42 nearly from the beginning.

You're both already in the stats - got Foliolover from another FS devotee thread; squire provided age info back in July '09 in the original thread, now dormant. My spreadsheet updates ages as time passes, so I had squire at 56 then, but now at 58.

Any one else? If you don't recall providing this before, you can search for your ID here or on the older thread (here). I'll check for duplicates anyway, just in case. Of course, if you've changed your ID or use multiple IDs, I may not be able to account for duplicate entries.

Os.

I'm 43.....just a tad over the median

cindy

Haha ... Are we expected to keep you updated when our age changes? Or are you working with a once-a-year date where you just update everyone?

Edit: Dyslexic fingers.

>133 Ephemeralda:

See my post 53, above. I have you as still 42 based on that approach, which calculates an assumed birthday of around Dec 26, in the absence of better info. In answer to the second part of your question, all ages are re-calculated using that approach every time I load the spreadsheet to add or update info. So any update I post is based on the stats as of that day and the assumed birthday approach described in my post 53.

Os

35

> 134

You are frighteningly organised, Osbaldistone!

>136 Ephemeralda:

Only had to set it up once (well, twice, because it wasn't working right the first time). Now it's automatic. This kind of stuff was part of my work from the time the first PC arrived at our office back around '85 until they let me go back in August, so it just comes natural. Perhaps I'll land a job soon and get back to it before I get too rusty.

Os.

I'm 31 - mental age 41

I use my son to justify my fairy book purchases

>138 pinkpaper:

Me too!! However, my justification is a bit weaker because I don't have any kids yet.

>139 exodus5139:

That's what I'm telling myself! That Pinocchio is for my future children. Sure.

I'm 36, with a mental age of 37. Lucky the boss has just left for a golf game, that result made me burst out laughing.

I'm sorry everyone has already responded to the OP's question. It would have been fun to guess first and then see how accurate we were individually and collectively.

Mental age 44 (very flattering)
Chronological age 63

Os, I think your next step might be to add in mental ages, somehow, to your graph.

35 years old.

I've already answered this question, I'm 28, but I still act like a kid. I've got the new LEGO Christmas Catelogue on my desk. Can't wait to browse it.

>146 ironjaw:

You're not alone. I'm 30 and was in the LEGO store in the mall last night. Why? Just because :)

Had to check through the thread to make sure I hadn't replied before...sometimes I forget these things...

Age 55 (for a few more days!)
Mental age...38

42.

>126 Ealhmund:, months later: Thus, the stats are not biased, as presented, unless you believe willingess to read this thread and post an age to be a function of age. You are, however, probably correct in observing that the people who would respond by posting to this thread are going to be somewhat active internet users and, thus, generally biased toward the younger end of the range of Folio Society book owners.

True, I meant society at large and not within the confines of this thread.

Then again, if I read to my sons, do they count? We are currently roaming Middle Earth with Tolkein a few minutes each night, most way through Fellowship of the Ring.

If they show the slightest inclination to be readers... they will have found my weakness, as I can passibly withstand my own tempations, but probably not theirs...

27.
Not yet a member of Folio; it's going to be my graduation present to myself. It's a bribe to fight senioritis!

It's gonna be a great payoff, study hard!

37 and a FS member since 3 years (I think so, time is moving so fast...)

The average age of an FS member who is also an LT member, and reads this thread, and has posted an age.

Newest stats thru Dec 3:

134 who have offered up their age
Average age - 41.7
Median age - 42 (the age in the middle of a list sorted by age)
Max age - 78
Min age - 16
Std Dev - 14.0

Updated chart

Os.

23!

Also glad to see a number of other twentysomethings on here.

21

Just had my 50th birthday and have just joined. A present from my husband. Have wanted them forever. Received the introductory offer to open on the day and have just spent the day browsing and trying to choose four books from the fabulous catalogue. Sigh ...what a job, but someone has to do it ;) I love the fairy tales and myths and legends. Want to read them to grandchildren, if we ever get some! I drooled over the Kelmscott Chaucer ...aahh one day! I have some ( in perfect condition) second hand copies of Folios I was lucky enough to buy from a local charity shop who were about to throw them out!

50 next week.

46. FS member since 2009

48 ; member since 2010

53 and a member since the 1980s (on and off)

The average age of an FS member who is also an LT member, and reads this thread, and has posted an age.

Newest stats thru Dec 17:

142 who have offered up their age
Average age - 41.7
Median age - 42 (the age in the middle of a list sorted by age)
Max age - 78
Min age - 16
Std Dev - 13.9

Updated chart

Os

23. Joined when I was 21. I also don't always know how I manage to justify spending my student loan on the books, but they're worth it when they arrive.

46 and seemingly adding a year every month!

I'm 29 and a new Folio devotee!

I'm 55 going on 40.

50 next month and an FS member since this year

32 and just getting started!

To start out the new year...

The average age of an FS member who is also an LT member, and reads this thread, and has posted an age.

The only real change since the last update is that my alogrithm has guessed that our youngest members (RodrigoJO and Ireisa) are now 17, based on the date when they initially posted their age. Let me know if this should be corrected. I've not seen any activity from Ireisa for a year or more. Wonder if anyone is in touch with her.

Newest stats thru Jan 1, 2012:

146 who have offered up their age
Average age - 41.8
Median age - 42 (the age in the middle of a list sorted by age)
Max age - 78
Min age - 17
Std Dev - 13.9

Updated chart

Os

I'm 22, but will be 23 by the end of January.

> 170

Eheu, fugaces, Postume, Postume, labuntur anni!

>171 boldface:

After a Google search, I see you quoted Horace's Odes. Thanks, now my TBR pile is even bigger! :)

Twenty-two was my first year in a nine-to-five job; the daily grind made it glide away all right.

> 169

I'm growing older by the day!

Hello everybody. Almost at the end of my 21'st year, with a real problem for books. I find the Folio Society books a pleasent.....ish distraction to my addiction of growing my not yet impressive library.

30.

I'm 19 with a mental age of 39.

I'm 39 and joined Folio back in 1996 with A History of the Crusades, but there are a few years awhile back when I was not a member.

19 with a mental age of 39. Only a few months left of being a teenager...
I'd also be interested in seeing an analysis of members of this group by region (I'm Aussie). Has anyone tried doing something like that before?

34...going on 35 in March from Canada..........

The average age of an FS member who is also an LT member, and reads this thread, and has posted an age.

Since the last update, we had posts from several members of below average age (three at around age 20), so the group average dropped by half a year (I know I feel younger now). The rest stayed pretty much the same, with a slight rise in the SD

Newest stats thru post 179 (Feb 20, 2012):

153 who have offered up their age
Average age - 41.3
Median age - 42 (the age in the middle of a list sorted by age)
Max age - 78
Min age - 17
Std Dev - 14.1

Updated chart

Os

Damn it! Now I'm above average, which except for weight and age, is generally a good thing!

> 178

You've just managed to make me feel old AND immature. I've just had a birthday so I'm going to take that mental age test again, see how that's progressing. Or regressing.

40

> 183. Congratulations. Life is beginning.

43, odometer clicks over on 2. October.

20. :)

55 in July and Folio Society member since this year.

I'm 42. I've been buying FS books on and off since I was about 20. In the last full years I have been buying a lot more on the grounds that my boys need to read well written books, beautifully bound. Its a great excuse to buy what ever I want!

The average age of an FS member who is also an LT member, and reads this thread, and has posted an age.

Since the last update, we had a slight rise in the average age and drop in the SD, but neither statistically significant.

Newest stats thru post 188 (June 10, 2012):

157 who have offered up their age
Average age - 41.4
Median age - 42 (the age in the middle of a list sorted by age)
Max age - 78
Min age - 17
Std Dev - 14.0

Os

50 -- like Vonnegut once wrote, I've climbed one side of the roof and thrown my leg over the other side. Could it be all downhill from here?

27.

>190 wrenegade:
Perhaps, but my roof seems to be multi-gabled.

Os.

63. Mental age, 46. At this point, as somebody (and I wish I could remember who) said, "My life is like a Russian novel: too many characters, not enough car chases."

>193 MarkAJohn:

You know, if Tolstoy had added just a few car chases, War and Peace might have been a real success!

Os.

> 192-3. if Tolstoy had added just a few car chases, War and Peace might have been a real success!

He did the best he could:

He had not ridden many hundred yards after that before he saw to his left, across the whole width of the field, an enormous mass of cavalry in brilliant white uniforms, mounted on black horses, trotting straight toward him and across his path. Rostov put his horse to full gallop to get out of the way of these men, and he would have got clear had they continued at the same speed, but they kept increasing their pace, so that some of the horses were already galloping. Rostov heard the thud of their hoofs and the jingle of their weapons and saw their horses, their figures, and even their faces, more and more distinctly. They were our Horse Guards, advancing to attack the French cavalry that was coming to meet them.
The Horse Guards were galloping, but still holding in their horses. Rostov could already see their faces and heard the command: "Charge!" shouted by an officer who was urging his thoroughbred to full speed. Rostov, fearing to be crushed or swept into the attack on the French, galloped along the front as hard as his horse could go, but still was not in time to avoid them.
The last of the Horse Guards, a huge pockmarked fellow, frowned angrily on seeing Rostov before him, with whom he would inevitably collide. This Guardsman would certainly have bowled Rostov and his Bedouin over (Rostov felt himself quite tiny and weak compared to these gigantic men and horses) had it not occurred to Rostov to flourish his whip before the eyes of the Guardsman's horse. The heavy black horse, sixteen hands high, shied, throwing back its ears; but the pockmarked Guardsman drove his huge spurs in violently, and the horse, flourishing its tail and extending its neck, galloped on yet faster. Book III, Chapter 7.

Nice JB ! thanks for that excerpt

Chronological age: 47
Mental age: Too afraid to check!

30

30

30

I am surprised at all the spring chickens! It is a pleasant surprise though!

>198 immaculatechaos:, 199, 200
So that's 90, total, right?

Os.

On this planet, 63 years
Mental age 38 ( but I might be kidding myself a little)

FS member in 1974 and then for the last 3 years

The average age of an FS member who is also an LT member, and reads this thread, and has posted an age.

We've had several new posts since the last update (162 folks in the database now), and the average age has risen by about 6 months. The rest of the stats stayed the same.

Newest stats thru post 179 (Feb 20, 2012):

162 who have offered up their age
Average age - 41.8
Median age - 42 (the age in the middle of a list sorted by age)
Max age - 78
Min age - 17
Std Dev - 14.1

Sorry for the fuzzy image. Something with the conversion seems off. I'll work on it.

Os

I'm 24.

I'm 31

44

The average age of an FS member who is also an LT member, and reads this thread, and has posted an age.

Newest stats thru post 206 (Jul 09, 2012):

165 who have offered up their age
Average age - 41.6
Median age - 42 (the age in the middle of a list sorted by age)
Max age - 78
Min age - 17
Std Dev - 14.0

Sorry for the fuzzy image. Something with the conversion seems off.

I'm 35. My membrership lapsed for a year, but I have been collecting Folio Society for several years.

53, somehow, and an FS member since around the start of the present millennium.

21 as of a few days ago, and just made first Folio order. (Birthday funds, naturally.)

27 :-D

49 - Been a member of FS for 6 years.

Awesome investment Jordy! Happy Birthday!

Interesting that the 2nd largest group is 26-35 if you take the 40s and 50s together

I'm 26. Just joined Folio a week ago

Finally confessing my age ... 67 and been collecting Folio Society books for about 40 years ! However I buy on secondary markets.

The average age of an FS collector who is also an LT member, and reads this thread, and has posted an age.

Newest stats thru post 216 (Dec 22, 2012):

168 who have offered up their age
Average age - 42.0
Median age - 43 (the age in the middle of a list sorted by age)
Max age - 79
Min age - 17
Std Dev - 14.1

related chart

Hello everyone
I'm 39. I rejoined this year after many years and I must say that the quality of folio books is better than ever. I first became a member when I was at university in the 90's when Folio had the 'gallery' at Southerans. It's lovely to know there are so many people who appreciate beautiful books (and actually read them!)
By the way I was shocked to learn that Barry who was at the desk at the Folio members room passed away 2 years ago. A fantastic guy with whom I had many happy and interesting conversations. This is my first post.
Merry Christmas everyone!

>218 kal249:
Welcome, kal249. Happy to read such an enthusiastic first post.

Os.

Thank you Osbaldistone, by the way I love your library images!

219 Does this take into account how we have aged since we first disclosed our ages? :-)

>221 Conte_Mosca:
Good question. I was 19 when I first posted, but turned 20 several months ago.

> 221, 222

I believe that Osbaldistone's algorithm (see > 169) takes care of the issue. He can correct me...

>221 Conte_Mosca:, 222
It's a ballpark inflation - in the absence of more accurate info ("I'll be 35 next month", for example) your age is increased by one year, six months after your initial age post and yearly thereafter. I figure this will make most individual numbers right more than half the year, and the error will balance out over the data population.

So, I have johni92 at 20 years old now; Conti-Mosca still 44, but soon to turn 45; and drasvola now just turning 78 (happy birthday %^)

Os.

>223 drasvola: Osbaldistone's Algorithm. I like the sound of that. Like Fermat's Last Theorem, or Occam's Razor :-)

That makes sense. The age demographic has drifted slightly higher in the last year which is more likely to be because we have all got a year older rather than any huge influx of more mature members!

>224 Ealhmund:
Interesting enough, the new members tend to average out at about age 42, but the overall aging adds a bit. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you take bad news), we probably don't often know when someone passes away, nor when someone quits FS or LT. So the aging population will, eventually, add an undeserved bias.

That reminds me - I do need to change the opening line of the stat post. It's FS collectors, not necessarily FS members. That also means that folks should stay in the stats even when they let their membership expire, which I have done while unemployed.

Os.

One other possible error source - if someone who has posted their age then changes their LT name and posts their age again, I may not catch it, and they'll end up in the stats twice. If you've had two or more LT names in the past, and you think you might have posted your age more than once, it might help to let me know.

Os.

Os:

Many thanks for keeping the chart and the statistics alive. Contributions like yours add to the quality and interest of these threads. And, yes, your algorithm has updated me right! Thank you. Happy New Year!

Another word of thanks, Os. Your algorithm has me right for ten months of the year; I remain firmly in the top decile, like Antonio, but not quite so venerable.

>228 drasvola:, 229
Thanks. Once it was written and debugged, it's been fairly simple to update.

As for being in the top decile, I wouldn't mind being referred to as 'venerable' someday. :-)

Os.

40 in May and have been a member since 2007. Just celebrated my five year anniversary w/Folio in August!

I'd say my life changed at age 37 when I discovered the Folio Society in 2007. I just couldn't believe that somebody was making books like this in the 21st Century. I was also aggravated at myself for having never heard of Folio, or even seen a Folio book, prior to that time. It's depressing to think that there are bibliophiles out there who may never even know of Folio. The only reason I knew was because of their full-page ads in the New York Review of Books.

Os, don't believe I've previously posted my age. I'm 38 (thought I was 37 until I double-checked for this posting ...), turning 39 in July.

I've no plans to die soon, so hope not to add to the slight upward bias in your figures. That said, I'm quite accident prone, and have several tall piles of books to negotiate.

>233 marpelee:

marpelee,

You can't go until you've finished reading all your books. :-)

Os.

Well, pretty big deal for me. I'm turning 30, February 12th - finally I can call myself a gentleman.

A gentleman is someone who can play the accordian ( or bagpipes) , but doesn't :-)

Re: 236, perfect pitch, n. when you toss your bagpipes in a dumpster and you hit an accordian.

:-)

ETA - actually, I love bagpipes and enjoy accordian in the right musical setting. But I love the joke (often told with accordian and banjo).

#233

marpelee, I keep telling my family that my books can only increase my life span. I have so many in my To Be Read list (stopped piling them up as it was getting dangerous, now I shelve them and add them to the list) that I will have to live forever to finish it. And I'll have to stay healthy in my old age. I have diabetes and one of the big complications is blindness which would really put a crimp in my reading. If the books were just paperbacks or regular stock I could hire someone to read to me I suppose but a Folio has to be seen (and touched) to be enjoyed so taking care of my eyes is super important. Unfortunately my family didn't really go for that as an excuse to buy books. They still think I should cut back on buying them or even (horrors!) get rid of some of them.

>234 Ealhmund: & 238

That reminds me of a friend who once worked out roughly how many pages he read per day (really quite a lot - it was before he had children), how many pages in the kind of book he read and how long he expected to live. The expected number of books left in his lifetime escapes me now but was somewhat depressing. I'll suggest to him that he simply refuse to die until he has read all he wants!

As an academic and lecturer I used to set my students targets of xxx pages to be read a week and it added up but I also learnt that one had to teach university students how to read and how to get the most out of the experience ... So essentially a lot of thinking and reflection goes into my reading . these days (in retirement) if a book is turgid, repetitive, inaccurate on factual detail, poor style (and a dozen other critical criteria) I do not insist on finishing the book but move on to something else as there is so much out there.

> 239, 240 I would read a lot more books if I didn't spend so much of my time hanging around the FSD Forum :-)

>241 Conte_Mosca:
And Michael, the FSD forum seems to have been extraordinarily active for the last couple of days, taking much more time to read all the discussions, and to follow through all the enabling posts, which makes you buy books that you really want to read but did not previously know existed, and this makes the TBR shelf full to overflowing.
And so the cycle continues.

This seems like a good place to introduce myself. I'm joining the FS for the first time, and thought it would be nice to have a support group for my new addiction. (Even though most support groups are supposed to try to help you break your addiction, not encourage it. :-) ) I'm 37. Nice to meet you all!

>243 Bookworm59:
Welcome! Oh yeah! We'll support your habit, alright!

Os.

>243 Bookworm59:
If you think you have a FS habit now, just wait and see what happens to your bank balance and bookshelves over the next few months.
Welcome, and check out the Wiki at the top of the FSD home page to learn more about the incurable disease FAD!

Welcome Bookworm 59. The need to purchase Folio society books is a wonderful addiction but it fits into just being a bibliomaniac . This forum is a good place for all sorts of information ... I enjoy hearing about other good books acquired by FS people, and their travels too. Views on what you are reading appreciated. Recommendations always welcomed , enthusiasms cheered and if your bank balance is low we shall commiserate .

Hello everyone, my name is Stefan, I'm 27 and I have just become a bookaholic a few hours ago, that's when I joined Folio.

Hello, fellow newbie! :-) And thanks for the welcome, wcarter and Africansky1!

>247 Skarter:
Hmm...I wonder which was cause and which was effect? Either way, welcome.

Os.

I'm 49!

The average age of an FS collector who is also an LT member, and reads this thread, and has posted an age.

Newest stats thru post 250 (Jun 03, 2013):
174 who have offered up their age
Average age - 42.3
Median age - 43 (the age in the middle of a list sorted by age)
Max age - 79
Min age - 18
Std Dev - 14.0

related chart

stats also updated on our group's wiki page here

I suppose it would help if everyone would indicate in their will that their survivors should contact the group and let us know upon the passing of a member, so we can acknowledge the loss and keep the stats current. Don't forget to include both your LT name and your password.

Only partly tongue-in-cheek. We do care about you, and would want to know.

Os.

Actually, I have told my sister about the group and asked her to get in touch with the Devotees to give them first crack at my FS books after I've gone. Sorry guys, but I plan to live to be 100 (like a lot of people from my hometown) so that hopefully won't be happening for another 40+ years. That is of course assuming that both computers and the Devotees are still around and that my sister has someone who can help her do it as she knows very little about computers and absolutely nothing about forums.

> 253 - Ah yes, another person who plans to live until 100.

My Dad will soon turn 90, so the genetics (and medical advances) may actually be there for me. But my daughter has told me in no uncertain terms that she's getting my books when I die. Thankfully she has but a small apartment at this time, so she doesn't have the clear incentive to bump me off quite yet.

My kids read voraciously, but they will NOT read any book I recommend (teenagers). Actually, anything their parents own (other than money) is so 'not cool' that, for the next few years at least, we're pretty safe.

Os.

My daughter is only six, but she has already claimed several of my FS titles by insisting they go in her bookcase in her bedroom (Wind In The Willows, the two Lewis Carrol sets, the Winnie The Pooh set, Charlotte's Web). And she tells me that I am just looking after the Fairy Books for her until she claims them when she is seven.

>256 Conte_Mosca: That's so cute. FAD is clearly highly heritable in your case.

Incidentally I wonder what age the youngest Member on Folio's 'register' is? (genuine Member that is, not some FAD-infected parent who has taken out a surrogate Membership giving the nursery address of their toddler)

#254
My Dad's 88, his aunt (yes, I did say his aunt) is 95 or 96 and I was born in a town where quite a few people are anywhere from early 90s to over 100 so I have a good chance as long as I don't get hit by a bus or something.

Unfortunately I am safe from relatives who want to inherit my book collection early. There just aren't any. The closest I can get is an uncle who is so much older than me and in such poor health that I will definitely outlive him. I have one nephew and he had to be forced to do any assigned reading for school (he never even read comic books). Now that he's an adult and out of school he'll probably never pick up another book.

I am so envious of you coynedj, Osbaldistone and Conte_Mosca. If I had your kids they wouldn't have to knock me off for my books--I'd be buying them their own every day. I supplied my non-reading nephew with a good-sized library of books when he was young because I lived with the (totally disproven) theory that anyone surrounded by books would eventually come to love them. In the end his books went to charities and to the kids living next door to Dad. Their parents watch his house when he comes to visit us so it was a good way to thank them.

24, and still counting :)

Turned 32 today. I should have waited until 42 to start collecting books because of the hurt on my poor wallet.

19 soon to be 20

I see I mentioned my mental age above, but my physical age will be 54 next month. I like my mental age better.

I'm 43 going on five in July. Actually, I'm not sure I've passed the terrible twos and threes yet...

>259 KevinVD: Kevin believe leave now or you'll end up like me debating whether to go out Friday night or use that equivalent to buy more books. Or worse end up comparing every purchase with "book money" i.e., how many books I could get if I didn't buy this insert name of clothes, food, dvd's, vacations, car, etc

>264 ironjaw:
I'm guessing I'm not the only one on this thread who converts dollars (or pounds) into the equivalent number of FS books when considering any purchase over $50..."I could buy 10 bags of cypress mulch -or- I could buy The Golem from FS."

Os.

I convert books to tanks of petrol. One full tank = AU$80 or one full price FS book. Walk and read or drive and feel deprived. I actually walk and use public transport a lot despite collecting cars as well as books.

47!

>264 ironjaw:/266/267 I'm so glad I'm not the only one FAD-addled enough to measure the cost of other things in terms of Folios!

>269 cronshaw: You are most certainly NOT alone! I do the same thing too, comparing every single purchase to how many FS volumes, or even portions of books everything I buy can be compared to.

As FAD-ish as it sounds, this is really a useful approach. Back when i had regular (and healthy) income, it was difficult to answer the question "Can we afford it", unless we were talking about buying a house. Almost anything we ever considered could be paid for out of savings, and, if not, could be easily financed for payments we could easily afford. So, having a benchmark of something you really care about helps put other purchases in perspective. The question becomes "Is this of similar value to me as the dollar-equivalent number of FS volumes from my wishlist?", which I found is easier to judge. It didn't keep us from taking that vacation that we needed, but it may have kept us from bringing home to many useless souvenirs.

Os.

A good enough time as any to introduce myself.
29, from Aus and brand new to the world of Folio Society (having just purchased my very first books last month!). I can tell that my addiction to all things FS will be a very long one indeed (having already placed orders 2 and 3!). Glad to see so many members on here as well. : )

>272 saroyd:
Welcome Saroyd. Nice to have another Aussie aboard. Expect to be considerably poorer, have a higher mortgage, and take great interest in bookcases over the next half century as you build a superb library.
Remember that now you have FAD it is incurable!

>264 ironjaw:

I've just hit my forties but I have used the excuse for many years that I've never spent my money on fancy clothes, restaurants, nights out on the town, big holidays or cars so deserve to spend a little money on what I 'do' fancy. Other than my mortgage I've never been in debt so it's worked out even though I've been obsessed over the years with hi-fi and music, home cinema and video, laserdisc, dvd and then blu-ray, photography and now books.

Fortunately I haven't been lured into the world of new Folios (yet), so I've been able to indulge and build up a collection without incurring too much expense. I do wonder how much all of my books would have cost if I'd bought them when new!

>272 saroyd: Welcome! Come on in, make yourself at home and pour yourself a couple of large drinks. You can no longer afford to be sober when you read your credit card statements.

>275 cronshaw: Tell me about it! I need to get myself to the liquor store and get into a drunken stupor so I can get over the fact they've refused to raise my credit limit any higher!

>276 Smiler69:

If anything, I'm glad they won't raise my credit limit any higher! ;)

>277 scholasticus: I agree in principle, only I'm now constantly worrying that some payment won't go through since I'm so close to the limit and of course can't pay it off. As long as no FS payments are refused, I guess all is ok with the world.

>278 Smiler69: Good philosophy. Long as FS is happy and keeps sending books, the rest of the world can go take a hike? ;)

>279 scholasticus: Now that sounds like my kind of philosophy - and not just from a financial perspective :-)

>279 scholasticus: Yes, that's exactly it. :-)

>280 Conte_Mosca: I knew I'd find other sympathetic adherents in this group! ;-)

25

These statistics have not been updated for some time. I wonder if I'm closer to being the eldest member in this group since 80 is getting near (perhaps too fast!).

Wow a lot of younger people on here. Cool. I'm 22

>284 lechacal:

It's great there are a lot of young people here, but I also think one of the great strengths of this group is that it consists of people of all ages.

Well I can tell you out of experience that Folio is VERY aggressive when it comes to defaulted payments. I've only tried it once due to a fault at my bank (IT glitch) caused it to refuse all payments from my account. It was a dreadful experience to receive those automatic letters from creditors telling me that I've breached the contracts (car, mortgage, insurance, telephone, gym and folio). Folio cancelled my instalment and wanted to full payment. Their customer service was super about it and understanding and after I payed the instalment plan continued. But I can tell the letter was frightening to read. As an afterthought, I try to limit my credit and instalment plans. It makes you wonder how vulnerable you are and how overly demanding debt can be.

Didn't realise so many young people were Folio members.I always thought it was an 'old' thing.
I turned 21 in January.

I was twenty-six back in 2009 when I joined Folio and LT. Amazing how much I've changed intellectually (and how little I knew back then) but also how many like-minded and aspiring member's I've had the pleasure to meet, some in person and, some to correspond with over LT. These six years have been wondrous.

I'm 28.

>288 ironjaw: - I was 32 when I joined, but that was in 1988.

>290 coynedj: You could be 32 at heart :)

48 and I've just done the mental test thing from >105 drasvola:
Very surprising at 24. I was expecting 10-12

actually 49. It was my birthday 2 weeks ago.
Is there a test for getting your age wrong ??

35

37 in a couple of months. As for the mental age test thingy at >105 drasvola: - 27. Yeah, right.

68

Bah! That makes me even older than this thread.

I think I tried that mental test thing and was saddened to see the result of 64! Twice my age.

I’m 65.
I was 21 when I became a FS member in 1971.
Mental age 32!

I'm now 62 but used to be younger. However, my mental age must be well over 100, since I can no longer get the mental test website to work (at least on my iPad).

>296 Forthwith:
Then I will confess to 65 for a few months yet.

I joined at 18. I now have shirts older than that.

>301 kcshankd:

Now that's admirable. How long ago was that. If only I was that young to have found folio, I would seriously have thought otherwise than spending my money elsewhere and of no importance.

>302 ironjaw:

The calender says 24 years. I don't believe it. I still remember opening the mass-mailing and being gobsmacked by the books - I had never seen anything like them before in the middle of Kansas, USA.

>303 kcshankd: That's amazing. What a wonderful experience.

I joined while in College about 1970. I have followed them through the years and was often a member usually at the four book annual minimum. I so wanted to order all 12 of the annual offers.

Through the years I have been introduced to new worlds. The Smith of Smiths and the FS excerpts of Pepys were irresistible. I could not understand why no one that I met had heard of these books nor the FS. Indiana is a very lonely place if you are seen with a book.

>305 Forthwith: - Try South Dakota.

>105 drasvola: Good grief Antonio, I did your mental test thing and came out as 17 even though I said Miley Cyrus is 'everything that's wrong with kids today' and that baseball caps look best 'worn forwards rather than backwards'. It must have been the 'cheap vodka' option for the house party.

Just did it again, and I'm now 22, so just half a dozen more goes and I'll be fine.

28 with a mental age of 43; I'm not surprised at that result in anyway considering a colleague once joked how I actually look young but when I go home at the end of the day I remove my fake face and I'm actually an old man underneath.

Apparently I have the mental age of a 50 year old. I think I've had a middle-aged mind since I was in my late 20s! Maybe it's a sign that I should start buying trousers with a high waistline and grunting in satisfaction when I sit down on a chair…

In the question regarding the house party there was no option for 'wonder what disease I have that's led me to consider hosting a house party', or 'why are all these noisy people in my library?'.

41 this month. And a folio member for the last 5 years. Although I did sign up for an introductory offer back in my first year of university, before realizing I wouldn't be able to afford the minimum purchase requirement and cancelled it :(

Further to my post in 299 above, I managed to do the test on my phone and came out at 36. I won't quibble with that!

>312 boldface: What changed Jonathan? Changed your mind on Miley Cyrus :) I tried it again and I'm down to 57...

>313 ironjaw:

Yes, maybe it was Miley Cyrus that made the difference.

Since 2011 my mental age has gone up from 43 to 49. Where did I put those keys?

>315 housefulofpaper: - so, housefulofpaper... care to share your physical age for the stats?

Os.

(no is a perfectly acceptable answer)

The average age of an FS collector who is also an LT member, and reads this thread, and has posted an age.

Newest stats thru post 316 (April 9, 2015):
192 who have offered up their age
Average age - 43.6
Median age - 44 (the age in the middle of a list sorted by age)
Max age - 81
Min age - 20
Std Dev - 14.2

related chart

stats also updated on our group's wiki page under "How Old Are We?" at here

Since the update in 2013:

Average age went up by 1.3 years
Median age up by 1 yr
Max age has gone up by 2 yrs (as has my age)

Os.

57

33

30, turn 31 in July.

If I say Immortal, what does that do to the Average?

>316 Ealhmund:

I'll be 48 next month.

Just bringing this thread to FSD members attention again. Please add your age if you wish, to demonstrate the diversity of ages amongst our membership.
To update my personal details, I am a very young 69.

I'm 32.

With a baby involved I think I've aged more than two years since I last replied!

I'm 35 but stopped counting at 25! So I always answer 25 if people ask, and sometimes get away with it!

Since I first did this, my real age has somehow progressed to 69, and my mental age to 48. I think the questions have changed.

30 or 31. I kinda stopped keeping track after 18.

Very interesting stuff. I'm 28 and I've only recently become a convert to the Folio Society (although I had picked up one or two FS books from second-hand bookstores in the past).

In part, that was because of the attention that recent sci-fi/fantasy releases have drawn on social media and geek blogs etc. Dune and American Gods are two of my favourite books, so seeing articles about the beauty of the FS editions made me realise that I should take a closer look and it went from there...

Six years ago I reported that I was 66. I can no longer work out my current age, but I leave the calculation as an exercise for the reader.

I'm 32.

I am 25. Inherited the book craze from my grandpa.

39 for a few more months...

48 but, like wongie, I sort of stopped really counting long ago and it's a bit of a surprise to find myself this close to 50 :)

64½.

19.

>335 Cat_of_Ulthar: - I wish I was that close to 50. I'm 60.

i'm 34

32.

Still not used to being old!

I'm 36; mental age 37 (per >28 overthemoon:), how boring. Normal is so prosaic. I envy you, cronshaw, our eternal teenager, and even you, grumpy old men in your twenties. Unfortunately, I discovered that cheap vodka = bad hangover way back in my teens, so no chance of a youthful score...

Walked into the dMR in August 2014; 251 Folio books made my bookshelves their home since then.

58 in a couple of months, mental age 35. I was probably older than that when I was 18.

>342 terebinth: - "I was so much older then; I'm younger than that now." Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan, My Back Pages.

34!

I'm 24 :)

48

25

41

59 yesterday, 60 today and not an iota wiser.

>24 housefulofpaper:

I'm 50 as of last month. I'd say that I haven't changed, but my knees are letting me know how old they are now...

>349 xrayman: Happy birthday!

73½. I always knew I was going to grow old, but I didn’t realize it would happen so soon.

>352 ramon4:
Growing old is better than the alternative!

>351 gmacaree: Cheers, my cake took the form of a pile of books, that speaks volumes.

>353 wcarter: One of Wilde's?

>354 xrayman:
Wilde's is actually pretty attractive. Fitzgerald's?

45

27 year old newbie, but I've (slowly) been collecting FS since I was 19 :)

>357 Fierylunar:

Hello and welcome!

40 now and 32 when I started collecting FS.
Mental age 23 according to the test posted by a fellow devotee (not as radical as my husband who got 15)

50

There's a piece on Folio's Twitter feed on commissioning illustrations that identifies their wares as suitable for ages 18 to 75. I guess that explains why I no longer receive e-mails :(. Come to think of it I was unsuitable when I joined at 17.

>361 Jayked: Yes, we all know it is true: people younger than 18 and older than 75 do not understand, appreciate or want illustrations; they do not want FS books and, almost certainly, they cannot read; in fact, they do not exist at all. You, Jayked are a non-person.

>361 Jayked:
Being a member of the FS for 60 years must be some sort of record. Congratulations!

>363 wcarter:
Not 60 continuous unfortunately. I dropped out for some years when work took me on the road.

I first joined in the early-mid 70s but also had to focus on other parts of life at times. In the early times, we would give the prospectus one annual review and then look forward to later receiving the books during the following months. Generally it was one book published per month with special publications on occasion.

In all of these years, I have never personally met anyone who had heard of the FS. It gets lonely sometimes.

I think that we may have had an earlier thread on naming our first folio book but that would be a chore to sort out for me.

It's been some time since we have updated this information. I'll be the "first" to do so, and post that I'll reach, not too far away, the ripe young age of 85.

>366 drasvola:
even older than the Folio Society itself! Congratulations.
I'm getting close to 65.

>367 SimB:

Reciprocal congratulations! Wishing you good health and enjoyment of our young and evolving (?) Folio Society.

>366 drasvola:

Amazing, Antonio!

>370 folio_books:

Thanks, Glenn. On another subject, share your thoughts regarding Folio's latest releases.

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>371 drasvola:

You'll need to check out the "Fall 2020 Release" thread, old curmudgeon that I am.

Edited for omission.

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>366 drasvola:

Congratulations, Antonio - in three weeks or so I shall be as old now as you were when this thread started, 76 - and I hope that when I am as old as you are now, we'll both still be posting here.

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>377 affle:

And so say all of us.

64

I seem to have missed this thread originally. I'm now75, and I've been a Folio member/customer for 47 years.

I am 26 now. :/
Was 21 when I commented.

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>381 TabbyTom:

"London 1851: The Year of the Great Exhibition", right?

I am 40. Not 15 as most of you think !

>385 Pellias: Lol! :D

A young 74.....

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I've been keeping quiet about being in my 80s in case the minders at Folio assumed we were in our second childhood and ripe for fairy drawings, comic books, magic castles, intergalactic goodies v. baddies...Nah, they wouldn't do that....

>389 Jayked:

So it's all your fault ...

33 :)

45

Rapidly approaching 71.

ETA – I also joined the FS the same year as "London 1851: The Year of the Great Exhibition" was the presentation volume for members.

Eheu fugaces labuntur anni ... three score years and seven.

>384 folio_books:

Yes, that's right. "1851" was my first Folio book and probably still one of the presentation volumes that I like best.

>397 TabbyTom: "1851" was my first Folio book

Me too! Joined 1973, 1851 my first Folio book.

>395 bookfair_e: I also joined the FS the same year as "London 1851: The Year of the Great Exhibition" was the presentation volume for members.

A vintage year for membershio, obviously :)

I'm 37, and this thread is a humility check.

My upmost respect for the old-timers - the collective knowledge and wisdom in this group surpasses any other I'm part of.

I pledge to dial down my "I know it all" posts to minimum from here on :)

>377 affle:

Thanks, Alan. Let's hope that both will be reading good old Folio books for many years!

>399 bacchus.: Upmost respect from me too, and explains somewhat something sometimes.

-

In the words of Glenn`s friend Mark Knopfler

There's so many different worlds
So many different suns
And we have just one world
But we live in different ones

Meaning in this context and other contexts of relevance, age must not separate too much.

I know elladan0891 too is of a formidable age ..

>401 Pellias:
Heh, formidable enough to know Dire Straits - 39. Funny enough, I just took the mental age test from the beginning of this thread, and there was a Dire Straits question there used to date us, old timers!

69 now, joined in 1991. boy, that's a lot of great books.

I'm half a century old.

28 🙂 I’m very new to Folio and there’s so much to discover, these forums are great too.

>405 Yohannas:
Welcome to the madhous and bibliophilia!
Make sure you check out the FSD wiki at https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Groups:Folio_Society_Devotees to discover everything there is to know about the Folio Society and its books.

>405 Yohannas:
Welcome, but keep in mind what a slippery slope this is! :D Started with Folio at 25, and now at 29 mostly migrated to Suntup, which I discovered via this forum.

47 :-) Stumbled onto FS Books about two months ago. They're wonderful! Busy trying to collect used copies of the Aubrey Maturin series. I've got up to The Ionian Mission.

I've reached the age where I have more books than I can read before I go to that big library in the sky. But that hasn't stopped me from buying more of them.

>409 amp123:

You’re not just buying books, you’re buying options. Why commit to reading books only in the order you buy them? With more options, you can read books to suit your mood.

>410 treereader: - as a former option trader, I approve of your way of thinking.

>407 Raenas: Suntup eh, I should check them out, but somehow I don't think my bank account will thank me!

>411 coynedj:

I’m a relatively smart guy and I’ve made more than a few dollars in the stock market but for some inexplicable reason, I’ve never been able to wrap my head around options trading. I think it’s because I can’t correlate my gut instinct to the mechanical process of it. I’m glad I’m on the right track with the book version of it, though!