i have a set of the old gun digest yearly soft backs from 1944 through early 2000's. i also have put together a DGJ set that is now a year or two behind, but otherwise complete. i consider both those to be useful resources that i expect to retain for the long haul. the interwebs have chipped away at their utility, but i am a lifelong reader with many books...i think of them as another measure of wealth...

"it's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards."
lewis carroll, Alice in Wonderland