Too many books (Stock photo, not Uminer's books).

How many books are too many? That depends. In a perfect world, no number is too many. However, while a small apartment in New York City may be very desirable, it is not a perfect world. Mendel Uminer learned that the hard way. He was evicted from his apartment and its all because his landlord thought he had too many books.
 

Uminer has received many sympathetic posts in regard to his plight, which became a story in the New York Times and on the internet. Uminer loves books and has a habit of buying them, more and more. He had a studio apartment in New York City, and a good size for a studio. Not everyone can afford a 600 ft. apartment in New York. Nonetheless, his book collection is very large. His landlord thought it too large for his apartment. He evicted Uminer.

Uminer possesses around 10,000 books.
 

Some people think of Uminar as a hoarder, but Uminar is not one of them. He was quoted as saying he is always reading, looking to expand his knowledge. He said, "Every book I own, I need." He is a needy man, at least when it comes to books. No one "needs" 10,000 books unless they are running a large library. Admit it or not, he is a hoarder.

His landlord was less than sympathetic. He considered Uminer's book collection a fire hazard. As with Uminer, the landlord's position is worthy of sympathy. Ten thousand books sounds like a fire hazard. I'm not an expert on fire dangers, but I would not want to live above Uminer's apartment, nor below it, alongside it, nor anywhere else in the building. Nor would I want to be his landlord. That is a lot of combustible material all packed together. My grandfather was a firefighter and lived a long life. I plan to do the same.