Organizing your books

I've got flour barrels full of books.
We call the Mrs - "Bookwoman"

I file by general topic (and I mean general, like Science, Sports or History) and then alphabetically by author. Multiple titles by an author are alphabetized by title (hey, my Mom's a retired Reference Librarian, it's in the genes).

There are a few oversized volumes that end up together because they don't fit anywhere else, plus when my subject gets too large for a single bookshelf or bookcase, the excess might spill over elsewhere. Oh, and unread volumes stay together and are filed after they're done.

So, the system in the first paragraph goes like this:
* History books are in the middle shelf in the guest room bookcase
* Tacitus, Tannahill and Zissner are all together, in that order
* The two Tannahill books, Food in History and Sex in History, are next to each other, with Food in History found first. Voila!

My system -- if it can be dignified with that word -- is also very personal. Essentially, I divide books into categories, and then I alphabetize them by author. The fun comes from the fact that "category" is a very loosely defined term: sometimes a category is a genre (like mysteries, or poetry, or baseball books), but it can also be time period, a nationality, or a combination of some or all of those things (like 19th-century English novels). Acquiring a book that crosses genre calls for some tricky decision-making: does a book of baseball poems (don't laugh, I have several) belong with the baseball books or with the poetry books? I'm almost embarrassed to admit the hours I've spent agonizing over questions like that (if something that gives me so much enjoyment can be called "agonizing").

Then there are exceptions, like oversized books, which have to go on the built-in bookshelves in the foyer of my apartment (the presence of which was probably the single most important factor in my decision to buy my apartment), and books I inherited from my parents, which have a place of honor in the secretary I also inherited from them.

I'm sure my system wouldn't make sense to anyone but me, but I can put my hands on just about any book I own in a matter of seconds.

By the way, I drafted the above before I read jespah's response (which I saw when I refreshed this page before posting my response). It's kind of frightening how similar we are: could it have anything to do with the fact that we're both lawyers?

By topics, nationalities and content.

The latest order of my personal library goes as follows:
Big bookshelf:
Sex & Erotica -Psychology-Science Fiction- English literature by country - Hispanic literature by country - Portuguese literature by country - European literature by language and country - African and Asian literature by country - Biographies - History - Politics - Social Problems - News and Communication - Sports - Cooking - Arts - Travel - Statistics - Economics - Marxism
Small bookshelf:
Elections - Cinema - Education - Language and linguistics- Dictionaries- Philosophy- New age/meditation - Self help

Literature goes by alphabetical order of author; biographies, by alphabetical order of the biographed person; politics ans social problems are divided in national and international; all others, by type of content (philosophy, by date of the philosopher in questions, books on cinema directors, by alphabetical order of the director, etc).

I organize them by genre, if I ever actually get them off of the floor, out of bags....I'm a slob really. Books and clothes and papers and CDs everywhere. But the details are organized - I just don't understand myself.

I have 6 shelves and I keep the books arranged by genre - detective pulp fiction, autobiographical, biographical, historic biographical, poem, fiction, crappy fiction, technical/instructional, art, etc...I also have boxes of books but they're random. I just have too many and there's no space.

I occasionally have a book give-away. I just bring a bag of what I don't want up to the pub and everyone takes what they want.

At the moment, there are piles....we are running out of space, and there are still a ton in the basement locker. Sigh...one day....

Books are easy , spines facing you and, never exceed the weighjt limit of any particular room.
We keep subjects organized by room. all art books are in my wifes studio. My reference books and recent journals are in the multi shelved room that used to be a tavern and post office in the 1800s which we now call a "library" etc etc.
stashing journals is difficult unless your society has an updated computerized catalog. i always file GSAs Geology and Bulletin separate, from other technical journals. At the end of each 5 years I take and box the journals and mark on the outside of the box what years are therein. These go into a cement floored tack room in the carriage barn. thats about the best i can do. If I really need an old article on some old research on some topic, ill go to the University library. I cant be bothered hunting through boxes of old journals cause I will wind up re reading every article in that box.I know me too well

I worked in a used bookstore for several years, so I also must organize my books. We have about 15 large bookcases, and I can still go to most any book we have with a minimum of fuss.

It's mostly genre, with some exceptions. For example, I keep hardback fiction in one place, paperback fiction another, modern Indian fiction first editions in another, Vintage International paperbacks in another, next to Vintage Departures...

Within genres, it's much more idiosyncratic. Maybe Austen and Bronte together, Sherman Alexie and T.C. Boyle together, Margaret Atwood and Lorrie Moore together. Just authors that remind me of each other, whether there is an actual link or not.

fbaezer (by the way you are very cool lookin'!), your post reminds me that last night my husband and I were discussing doing some redistribution, since right now the sex & erotica books are on a lower shelf, at sozlet level. (We have the Tannahil books too, Jes.) We haven't decided yet if it would actually bother us if she finds them. Hmm.

edit: "modern Indian Indian" --> "modern Indian fiction"

Our books are loosely categorized. I cannot imagine alphabetizing them! We put whole categories into the rooms where they're most likely to be used. Each category has a set of shelves.

All the books on anthropology, native Americans, exploration and travel go in the living room, along with the big dictionary, atlases and natural history books including gardening and bird books. The art and architecture books also have a set of shelves there.

Fiction is in the sunroom. History, science and political science go in my husband's office. My office has poetry, books on Feng Shui, and other new-age subjects, any books I think I might want to read, plus the OED and several Bartlett's. Children's books and college texts are in the playroom. Each of my teens also has their own set of books in his/her room. One has scienc fiction and books about WWII; the other has fiction and books she likes that defy classification. The nice old books that we inherited (but nobody reads anymore) are in the front hall. In a closet in the front hall are all the cookbooks.

Someday I am going to have to give away a bunch of books, but I've been avoiding it.

"Someday I am going to have to give away a bunch of books, but I've been avoiding it."

Piffka -- that's the story of my life!!

We did, a while ago. Old paperbacks, stuff like that. It made me sad. It's come up at least twice that I wanted a book and then remembered we gave it away.

I LIKE having all of these books.

I have two boxes of books in my trunk I keep forgetting to leave off at the used store...I might just be unwilling to let go but, at least they've gotten out that far..took months!

Organzied? Well, certainly by size and either author or genre really but, I cut back on my bookcases and now just have one in the livingroom and one barristers in the entryway. The bottom shelf of this does however hold a pile...upwards pile to keep it obviously differentiated...of the 'to be read' types.

I used to keep them more by author, paperbacks in one small case, etc. Now, Im just glad to have some around and be able to share sme..if I can give them away sometime soon...and to have some sitting in wait.

Me too, Sozobe. They are pieces of one's life, one's personality, one's landscape. I have an (inherited) first edition of staggering monetary value. Sure could use the money. Sure shouldn't have it in a house where keys are never used. Etc. etc. But can I turn it over to a dealer? I've tried, just like I've tried to give up Haagen Dazs mango -- fuggedabahtit!

Hee hee! 'zactly.

OK, now I gotta go get some Haagen Dazs Mango. Never heard of it, never tried it, but man that sounds yummy.

It is desperately excellent and addictive. We once had a local ice cream, a very good one, which was cherry cobbler ice cream. The Haagen Dazs mango helped me with my grief and stress stemming from the community relations people telling me that they would no longer make cherry cobbler. Not enough buyers. I'll buy it all, I promised, but they didn't believe me.

Quinn -- Here's another solution for too many books, and kind of a neat one. Don't miss the details of this: http://www.bookcrossing.com/

Thanks for that link! I'd heard about it, but never knew the details. Very cool!

I did do that when I was traveling in Europe, though not in any kind of organized manner -- would buy books cheap or find books free, read them, and leave them somewhere else rather than lugging around the lot of them.

Thanks to nimh, my bookcrossing i.d. has been part of my personal e-ddress for about hmmmmm 6 or 8 mos now. Good group, fun site.


Nobody here got a humour section in their bookcases? Or just not copping to it? Humour and children's lit are probably the 2 largest sections of my current personal library. I sold just under 3000 to a used book shop about a decade ago, and then about 500 3 or 4 years ago in a yard sale. I've managed to re-plenish the stock a little too well <sigh>. The bookshelves are full - doublestacked full, and there are now piles of books everywhere. It may be time to clean house again. Maybe. Or maybe in a little while. I do love my books. For many years I found comfort in seeing my books. It's only since I moved into this house that I haven't felt a physical need to see 100's of books in my living room.

ah yes..bookcrossing

I think itd be worse to leave somewhere then leave at the good old used bookplace...well, a bit harder at least