Like many people, at one point I had a pretty full bookcase of quilting books. All sorts of things and for all sorts of reasons. I got rid of most of them about 10 years ago when my vision issues got greater and got down to one shelf. When I moved, I took less than one box with me, which included my scrapbooks of 40 some years of quilting, back when you still had to have film developed.
The books I've kept are my reference books, about 20 of them:
I have several block reference books. Most are long out of print. Carrie Hall Blocks is one I could think of the name
https://www.amazon.com/Carrie-Hall-B.../dp/1574327011
I've kept my first ever quilt book, Ruby McKim 101 Patterns. I actually have two copies, one beat up marked up original and another one I got at the thrift store.
The book "Scrap Quilts" by Judy Martin forever changed how I looked at scrap projects and remains in my library. Likewise, I still have Judy's Log Cabin Book, even though it was written during the template days. Great handy diagrams on setting options.
I've kept 1-3 of Trudie Hughes "Template-Free Quiltmaking" books for their fantastic directions on how to use rotary cutters and rulers. Anyone else remember drawing grids to make HST?
With my eye issues I very much appreciate Karla Alexander's more relaxed stacking and whacking style of quilting and kept the 3-4 books I have.
I do have a few specialty books on String Quilts, embroidery for Crazy Quilts, Amish, Seminole, and other specifics..
I also have a couple of more art theory books I use as reference. I found this book rather specialized but very valuable in how to balance out some of my ideas... Symmetry by Ruth B McDowell
https://www.amazon.com/Symmetry-Quil...s=digital-text