Too many books?

It's that time of year when writers give their recommendations for Christmas book presents for the Londonphile in your life.

I had a look at my collection of London books and I've realised that you could call this either a habit of mine or a problem. One thing for sure, there is a pattern, something that repeats itself, that exists in its very repetition, that manifests itself on the bookshelf in my office and because it's a long-lived pattern, in piles around the house.

If book buying addiction wasn't a real thing, articles like this wouldn't exist. Try searching for 'book clutter' on Google and you'll find hundreds of results with tips to kick the habit: searching for obstructed light switches; tripping over wobbly stacks; discovering your library's duplicates; or pruning out the never-will-reads or already-read-and-didn't-really-likes.

My library has received its fair share of criticism, when I suggest adding to it by way of birthday/Christmas presents I receive a resolute shake of the head. But despite the fact that I probably have too many books, and that I seem to be running out of room, I'm not sold on the notion of purging my library.

There are just too many London books to read. And while one might make the very good point that you could just wait to buy them when you have more room, there's something about putting them in a row with other books, read and unread, that creates the cumulative impression of your reading self. Because, when it comes to reading, there will always be more books that you haven't read than books that you have, and your reading ambition will always be more important than your reading accomplishments.

Should you, like me, suffer from abibliophobia, the fear of running out of books to read, here are a few Christmas possibilities to curb your anxiety:

Walk the Lines: The London Underground, Overground by Mark Mason

From visiting every postcode to walking every Underground route, Mason specialises in the trivial. To prove the adage that the only way to truly discover a city is on foot, taking this to extremes, he sets out to walk the entire length of the London Underground - overground - passing every station along the way. He meets the Archers star who was the voice of 'Mind the Gap' ; explains what cabbies mean by 'on the cotton'; and discovers why London cabbies call the junction on which the Royal Geographical Society sits ‘Hot and Cold Corner'.

M25: A Circular Tour of the London Orbital by Ray Hamilton

Anyone who has followed me @cabbieblog knows I love a bit of trivia. This small book is jam (or should that be traffic jam?) packed with titbits about the M25's 33 junctions and the 11,000 lights to help you find your way. Sage advice on how to save £35,040 a year on Dartford Crossing tolls, counting how many assassins were buried in concrete within its environs, and why North Ockendon must declare itself independent from Greater London at the earliest opportunity.

Curiocity: In Pursuit of London by Henry Eliot and Matt Lloyd-Rose

This huge tome is a must for the nerdy Londoner, resembling a cross between an encyclopaedia and an artwork. Each chapter within its 464 pages has an original hand-drawn map, charting everything from the city's international communities, underground spaces and children's dreams, to its unrealised plans, erogenous zones and dystopian futures, its street cries to earthstars. An object of beauty in itself.

When did Big Ben first bong? 101 Questions Answered About the Greatest City on Earth by David Long

Which top Nazi was locked up in the Tower? Or what runs through the more than 50 miles of train-size tunnels which ring the city, stretch further than the Channel Tunnel and lie deeper than the Tube. The world’s first celebrity chef, its oldest club, the worst ever mockney accent, a chapel full of prizefighters and the last Prime Minister to challenge a rival to a duel with pistols. From the truth about Handel’s ears to hippos living in Trafalgar Square, and just When Did Big Ben First Bong?