I currently share my one bedroom flat with roughly 1600
books (I gave up counting somewhere near 1450 but that was a while ago and they
keep coming in) and I have to ask – where will the next one go? I’m not getting
any more space and, well, the books do keep on coming. There’s a pattern (which
will be familiar to many) starting with my famous five collection. I start off
with a shelf, the shelf gets filled, another shelf arrives (the first extra
shelf when I was about 7 came with a reading light attached courtesy of my dad
being quite good at that sort of thing, I don’t get that sort of attention to
detail now.)
When we moved from Shetland to Leicestershire there was a
whole (small) wall of shelves in the room I shared with my sister. I
appropriated the shelves, my sister had to make do with some in the airing
cupboard but she’s not a reader so there’s no need for sympathy. Eventually I
set off for university leaving the by now overflowing shelves behind, amazingly
my sister put up with this situation.
Halls or residence have surprisingly modest shelving
provision and I had a corresponding income so the book situation stabilised for
a couple of years – until I moved into a flat. I got more shelves which acted
like a magnet (or something). A couple of years later I moved back home with
guess what – yes indeed, more books. When I moved again it was into a shared
house so ¾’s of my books went into storage. I kept on acquiring books which
ended up living in suitcases under the bed – one of the many reasons it seemed
like time to take the leap and buy a flat. The edge of fear that came with
mortgaging my soul and future to the bank was blunted by the generous wall
space I acquired in the transaction.
But now 6 years later the shelves are filled, the walls are
filled, every surface and quite a bit of the floor has books on it and it’s
time for a tidy up. The answer is not by the way a kindle. I can’t afford one,
and don’t want one. I like books, I like being surrounded by books, (I just don’t
like the feral state they’re descending into at the moment). I’ve sort of tried
ebooks in that there are some stored somewhere in the bowls of my laptop but they’re
out of sight and out of mind which means the chances of me reading them are negligible.
What I really need are some ingenious and possibly decorative storage solutions
(sadly a bigger home is out of the question). 
You didn't mention if you're double-shelving already? That leads to questions of who rates front-shelf space and who doesn't, and if only some books of one author rate and the others don't, not to mention a lot of re-arranging. I don't really have a solution, though - just stacks sitting around, mostly the TBR books.
ReplyDeleteSame problem...a one-room apartment and somewhere between 500-600 books. I think I'm going to go for the e-reader solution, though. Also, as I read books, if I'm not wild about them I'll pass them along to friends and hope that attrition will help to tame the herd.
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem. I am double shelving and there are still little piles of books everywhere in the house. It is not the amount of books I'm complaining about, just the small space left for other things? I would suggest culling or signing up for bookmooch, but I am not good at that myself.
ReplyDeleteUseless comment, I know. But I just wanted to let you know most of us share your pain :).
What the world needs is a modern version of Gladstone's literary initiative. He not only gave his estate to the creation of a library, but he wrote an essay, "On Books and the Housing of Them." A good carpenter might be able to help you.
ReplyDeleteThis is what you need!!
ReplyDeletebookshelf-house
Looking at the photos of your shelves, I think you could make quite a bit of space by horizontal stacking.I don't use this concept everywhere, but if you gather a group of books of the same size together, they can be stacked horizontally up to the top of the shelf, with the added bonus of ease of reading the spine title. I have many shelves with books on "normally" but punctuated every so often by a horizontal pile, and IMHO it looks very nice.
ReplyDeleteI may have to build another shed, and call it a 'library'. I too have a collection of real books, not this Kindle business. Kindle may be good for the beach, the bath or the boat, but not for the bed ... you need to be able to scan your bedside collection and pick at random something to stroke and fondle before drifting of to sleep. Plastic electronic Kindle is not the answer.
ReplyDeleteHowever I feel a shed will work for me, I can go inside and lose myself for hours amongst a whole 'new' collection every now and then. Appreciate this is not a help to you, but just felt the need to share the love of paper books and the 'problem' of accumulation. Life goes on ... :o)
I started double-shelving years ago. I actually sent a lot of my books to my parents, but unfortunately the humid weather proved too much for the books and I had to do a huge cull. Is giving away books an option?
ReplyDeleteHave you got any floor space? My last solution before moving out of our tiny flat was a revolving free standing bookcase. I am so relieved to have a whole house now (with potential to convert the garage...)
ReplyDeleteCan you get rid of any books you didn't love and know you won't read again? I do culls every now and again and it does surprise me how many I can discard.
ReplyDeleteIf you can't bear to get rid, then build floor to ceiling bookshelves. Go over the door ways and use every inch of wallspace. It's the only way forward.
Lisa May - I'm not double shelving, I guess that's the next logical step but it really will mean a lot of organising...
ReplyDeleteBybee, attrition hasn't worked so for - or at least it's worked for the books rather better than it's worked for me/.
Iris - I think we're in good company:)
Roberta - every woman needs a good carpenter in her life.
ReplyDeleteTessie, that is what I need. Exactly what I need.
Curzon - some of my books are horizontal, I think a lot more are going to be.
Magnie - that's one of the things I really miss about Shetland - the sheds. I would love a shed/library. Bet there's a good cartoon in that somewhere...
ReplyDeleteChasing Bawa, double shelving it will be, getting rid of a couple of books might be an option but I like the books themselves, I want them ALL.
Verity, I'd only trip over something like that, I'm a bruise magnet at the moment, it's a busy week at work and there isn't a day I haven't come home bleeding.
Book Snob, I wish I had the strength of mind to do what you've done and open a shop, thing is I want to keep most the books. A cull is overdue though
A cull for the ones you know you are not ever going to miss. I gather, read and accumulate but have got quite good at culling (although once I do, I go any buy a load more.
ReplyDeleteCan I suggest, if it allows, shelves above all the doors?
Wow, you have some great books there. Look at those Persephones and Everyman Hardbacks!!
ReplyDeleteAlso - I love your red shoes!
Jo - the books are now piled to the ceiling, which is an improvement on the floor. A couple of feet are going to the charity shop and I feel like I'm winning again!
ReplyDeleteMadbibliophile, I love those shoes. The everyman were charity shop finds, a £1 each, some still wrapped in cellophane. I do love the books, for themselves as objects as much as anything so have no intention of getting rid of lots, I just need to find better ways of living with them.
sharing knowledge with others
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylRA41TZ9zU