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Old 05-24-2009, 10:26 AM
 
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I have so many books I thought it was about time to buy a "real" book case..My question is this..Should I arrange it by author or subject matter?
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Old 05-24-2009, 10:50 AM
 
Location: Las Vegas, NV
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trudy Rose View Post
I have so many books I thought it was about time to buy a "real" book case..My question is this..Should I arrange it by author or subject matter?
Depends on what you have. If it's all fiction, I would sort by author. If you have a lot of non-fiction, I'd go with subject matter, then within each subject by author.
For my own library (which I call it because I have five bookcases lined up along 10 feet of wall space!) mine start with Azimov and go from there. I can't say they are all alphabetical - newly discovered authors just went in where I found space - but that was the original intention. Then I have one short shelf with what have been called 'children's' books - Harry Potter, Narnia and such - and my Tolkiens all sit on top between a pair of bookends. The few non-fiction books I have are on a separate bookcase.
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Old 05-24-2009, 10:55 AM
 
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Thanks.. mine are all history books...and grouping by catagory and then by author is something I did not think of...
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Old 05-24-2009, 11:29 AM
 
Location: Texas
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Originally Posted by MsMcQ LV View Post
Depends on what you have. If it's all fiction, I would sort by author. If you have a lot of non-fiction, I'd go with subject matter, then within each subject by author.
For my own library (which I call it because I have five bookcases lined up along 10 feet of wall space!) mine start with Azimov and go from there. I can't say they are all alphabetical - newly discovered authors just went in where I found space - but that was the original intention. Then I have one short shelf with what have been called 'children's' books - Harry Potter, Narnia and such - and my Tolkiens all sit on top between a pair of bookends. The few non-fiction books I have are on a separate bookcase.
I am SO jealous. I am forever looking for a particular book in my house. They are everywhere and multiply like Tribbles.
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Old 05-24-2009, 11:45 AM
 
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Also have many books, and just bought another tall bookshelf for more! I usually arrange by subject matter: history, psych/philosophy, theology, fiction/poetry, cookbooks, health, etc. And always rearranging when I get even more new/used books!
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Old 05-24-2009, 02:24 PM
 
Location: Las Vegas, NV
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Originally Posted by Ketabcha View Post
I am SO jealous. I am forever looking for a particular book in my house. They are everywhere and multiply like Tribbles.
Ah, don't be jealous. My bookcases are all cheap ones I got for $30 or less at Big Lot! Used my tax refund to get them a couple of years ago. Where I set them up is inside an unused closet that I took the doors off. Then, next to and around the corner from there, I have another different kind of shelving unit I bought from a local store going out of business. That one has miscellaneous junk on the bottom, with a couple of shelves devoted to my teas and a lamp and hot plate on the top. Across the room from there is another of the shelving units from the going out of business sale that I use to display teacups. My various teapots and a few additional teacups are on the bookshelves, in front of the books. I have one semi-comfortable chair near the lamp and another table to set the teapot, cup and my ashtray on. If I could find a more comfortable chair that I could afford, I'd be all set to spend whole days in there just reading. (I already spend at least half of every day in there!)
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Old 05-24-2009, 07:33 PM
 
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I can just picture your set up .. sounds like heaven
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Old 05-24-2009, 07:58 PM
 
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I just did this!

I'm not quite finished though and do still have some books that are problematic. I think the issue is that despite me covering a whole wall in my bedroom with book cases I have too many books and I've been handed down a lot of vintage books from my grandparents that I simply cannot part with.

The first, really tall bookcase has all my non fiction in it arranged in categories each with a difference shelf (well except my true crime collection which takes up two shelves ).
The top shelf is dedicated to vintage classics, poetry and books on writing.
The next two shelves are dedicated to true crime with the self help books squished in at the end.
The next shelf is full of medical and health books
Then there's the shelf with all the political books
The last shelf has all my photo albums squished into it. THANK GOODNESS for digital!

The second bookshelf sits under the window and has music reference books, music autobiographies and general reference books on the top shelf and then all my fiction books on the other shelves.

The last bookshelf on the end has all my theatre and movie books and all my plays.

All of them are sorted in alphabetical order of the author within their groupings.

Then there's the pile of romance/historical novels that my great aunt keeps giving me for Christmas that I intend to read as soon as possible and then pass on to others.

Oh and there's several boxes of books under the bed which belonged to my father and grandparents. I can't throw them out, won't throw them out but I wish I had more room so I could put them in a bookshelf somewhere.

WHAT I really need is a house big enough that I can have a study/library!
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Old 05-25-2009, 08:41 PM
 
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This reminds me of a delightful essay by Anne Fadiman in her collection called Ex Libris - Confessions of a Common Reader. The author is faced with the challenge of combining her and her new husband's books - very amusing! Combine both collections alphabetically? If there are duplicates, do you discard/donate one copy? Combine by subject matter? Chronologically within subject matter? So many choices for newlyweds!
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Old 05-26-2009, 11:16 AM
 
Location: Kansas City, MO
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The only arranging I have done with my books is stuff I have read on my bookcases upstairs and stuff I have already read downstairs.
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