Generous Rick Robinson sent me a copy of Jacques Bonnet’s Phantoms on the Bookselves. This book is for bibliophiles who tend to their own libraries. Jacques Bonnet is a French publisher, translator, and author. Bonnet’s spent forty years building a private library of more than forty thousand books. Bonnet writes about the problems of classification and organization of a book collection. If you have a lot of books, Phantoms on the Bookshelves provides plenty of useful information on getting the most out of them.
In order to have an orderly library, I think you need to keep all of your books in one place. Mine are in bookcases (2-3 a room) in every room. The books seem to float around the house defying any attempt at tidiness. If we had spent our life in one place, a room of shelves would have made much sense. As it is, chaos reigns.
I know the feeling, Patti. Most of my books are on shelves in the basement and organized alphabetically by author. But, when I ran out of shelf space, I had to resort to plastic bins (which makes it tough to find anything). And then a I have a 100 or so books upstairs where I do most of my work.
Our friend Bob Adey in England has a huge collection you’d love, George. He has his first edition hardcovers alphabetically on bookcases but also has his locked room stuff shelved separately. Then there are the 19th Century books, the paperback originals, and the huge garage filled with thousands and thousands of others in tall bookcases. Unfortunately these are double shelved, plus there are boxes and boxes of other books.
It overwhelms the senses.
Since we’re down to just a couple of thousand (probably) and everything is out of boxes on shelves we don’t have a problem knowing (for the most part) where anything is, though every once in a while a book I’m sure I have just can’t be found.
It’s nothing like the Kelley Collection.
Jeff, I’ve promised Diane I’d devote this summer to weeding and organizing the thousands of books in the basement. And, make a substantial donation of lots of books to SUNY at Buffalo. Rooting around in in the plastic bins trying to find books I know I own is a hassle. Time to get organized!
Thanks to George and Rick for bringing this book to my attention.
Most of my books are downstairs but spread out in several bookcases. This doesn’t count the books on my headboard, the end table near my recliner, the end table near the sofa, the window seat in my bedroom – you get the idea. Back in the day I tried to get Art to give me some guidance on his shelving strategies. I seem to remember a response but I obviously didn’t implement it.
Whenever I “organize” my books, I run across many that I fully intend to read or reread. I can’t wait for retirement. Hope my eyes hold out.
Beth, I have the exact same experience whenever I “organize” my books, too! I always discover cool books I forgot I owned!
I reserved this one at the library. One thing I’ve never really done is read in bed, so I don’t have any books in the bedroom. (The secretary that used to stand in the corner of the room is now in the den with most of the other books. Other than the wall of bookcases in here all the other books are in the hall.
I don’t read in bed, either, Jeff. Diane sometimes does while she’s waiting for me to complete my Getting Ready for Bed routine involving my CPAP, my meds, and that nightly glass of red wine.
Thanks for the hat tip, George. I don’t have that many books, probably a couple thousand, but that’s only a guess. In Tustin where I lived before here I had the books in one room except for a TBR bookcase in the bedroom and the boxes in the garage. I don’t usually read in bed, that was the only place I could fit that TBR bookshelf in. Here, with much more room, the problem is like Patti’s: books all over the place.
When we got here and had some shelves up I began unpacking books and soon realized there was not space for them all in the one bedroom converted to a “book den” with shelves on (all or parts of) three walls. That room only holds the paperback mysteries and much of the paperback SF-F plus some pulp reprints. That room’s closet holds quite a few more books of all genres. So I added shelves on the dining room wall. Those hold the hardcover mystery and a few general fiction hardcovers and the art and reference books.. Most of the hardcover SF-F is in yet another room that was Barbara’s office before she retired. Now I’m looking to add a wall and a half of shelves in another bedroom. Meanwhile, most of the general fiction, all of the non-fiction, poetry and a lot of other books are still boxed downstairs. Though I have tried to keep genres together, organized by author, I still have to look in more than one place for a given book and then sometimes, like Jeff, still can’t find it. That’s when I assume – if it’s in my catalog – it’s still boxed.
Rick, having space is a blessing and a curse. When we moved into this house, I thought the large basement would never fill up with shelving and books. But, in a distressingly short time, I’d filled the shelves…and then some. But, when you have a lot of space there’s a tendency to be sloppy about weeding out the books you have. I tend to keep everything, but that leads to the overcrowding situation I’m facing now. This summer I’m intent on getting the books organized and out of bins. A large book donation to SUNY at Buffalo is in my plans.
I do almost all of my reading in bed. There is absolutely no organization to my books. My name is Bob, and I’m a hoarder.
Bob, I’m heading down your road. Except I don’t read in bed.