Art History Books

I've amassed art history books. Not a valuable collection, but just what I could glean from used bookstores cheaply. Why? What is it that is so compelling about these books? What do I think that I might find? Because there is that eternal hope as I open each one, and think: "I need to know about this, this is important". At some level there is a belief that in a book there might be a secret, or a piece of information that would make a difference in one's life. It's that, and it's participating in something greater than one's self, in the belief that there is this world of "Art" which is difficult to understand, but through study the parts and pieces will come together into a more profound understanding, which will, in turn, either make life that much more enjoyable, or inform one's work, and allow one to make better art. I can't say that either is for sure, for sure true. I do know that it is like a sickness, a neurosis of some kind, that I cannot really fathom, and I don't know anyone else caught up in it the same way.