Bookshelves as an expression of personal identity

[Alex The G and T]

When I was a kid, home sick from school, I could do 6 pounds of OZ in a single day.

 

[Phyrebrat]

I'm afraid it's quite a long time since I read State of Fear, and I can't really remember the plot - but I'll put it on my TB(Re)R list.
I enjoyed Airframe - I agree it's rather dry, but to me it fits into a category that I mentally categorise as faction. Jurassic Park is similar - I read the book long before the film came out, and while I realise that you can't really fit an accurate transcription of a 400+ page book into a 2½ hour film, I was astonished at the butchery done to the 'science' for the film script. There's a lot of 'dry' passages in the book that just disappear, and half of what I really enjoyed about the original vanishes. Hey-ho...

Agreed on all counts! I felt a bit cheated with the opening of JP II and those elements that were pinched from the first book — mind you I have to give it to the first movie; if you’ve not read the book, it’s a cracking family action film.

You’re the first person other than my sister I’ve met who has read Airframe.

 

[Snicklefritz]

I too enjoy seeing others bookshelves, particularly genre collections. Here is a barrister holding my science fiction reference and history books. Over the years I’ve picked up various of these types of bookcases, liking the old style and dust prevention.

My grandfather, who taught me to read, had a glass-front bookcase like yours in his study. There was extra magic bestowed on a book that was reverently brought forth from there-- most notably Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
( I had to grow up a bit before I learned what that white bull really wanted with Europa.)

​

 

[Grognardsw]

My grandfather, who taught me to read, had a glass-front bookcase like yours in his study. There was extra magic bestowed on a book that was reverently brought forth from there-- most notably Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
( I had to grow up a bit before I learned what that white bull really wanted with Europa.)

​

Yes Snickle the old pieces do bring a certain gravitas to a room and the books within. Another category of book storage are card catalogs, particularly the type used in offices that had tall draws. I have such a piece holding paperbacks:

 

[Cthulhu.Science]

I have a lot books gleaned from charity shops and used book stores. I also have a few books that have a lot of actual monetary value. I'm realizing that I'll need to make a list, probably with photos, of books with real value, at least that would be a nice thing to do so that they don't get tossed out with the rest of them when I die.

--- Oh, and I plan to die one day. Not soon, mind you, but you won't find me taking that immortality pill or whatever they're working on.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

This is my life (so far) as an author.

 

[Grognardsw]

I know what you mean Cthulhu Science. (With that name, perhaps you have some Arkham House Lovecraft first editions? ) Thirty years ago, knowing where this was heading, my wife created an Excel spreadsheet with columns for title, author, publisher, edition, year, condition, price, place of purchase, and miscellany notes. I maintained it since then. Starting from scratch now on such a catalog would be a huge and tedious undertaking.

Stephen that is impressive to have a shelf of your own books.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Stephen that is impressive to have a shelf of your own books.

27 years of very hard work! It's all my books, plus the anthologies I've had short stories in. My other half said I should celebrate what I've done. I find that a bit out of my comfort zone, but, hey, I'm not as young as I used to be, and some of these books I'm really happy with.

 

[Phyrebrat]

Okay. I’ll humiliate myself. My bookshelves are horrid black ash from the 80s which I loathe — and everyone is so tidy except Alex and me. Anyway. I’ve whittle down my collection the last three years when I got a kindle. The unit has all my Farscape DVDs and the drawers are full of BSG and SW books.

 

[Danny McG]

I would say I've only a couple of dozen real books left, everything I read now is ebook.
It broke my heart when I first began taking bags of them to charity shops (I had to really force myself not to browse while I was in them)

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

My bookshelves are horrid black ash from the 80s which I loathe

I love your black book cases. Very gothick and mysterious! All but two of my bookcases are painted white. I admit I would hate to have all my furnishings in that black wood, or even all my bookshelves, but your three glass-front black bookcases in a row, I can imagine them in a wizards's or an alchemist's workshop.

 

[Phyrebrat]

I love your black book cases. Very gothick and mysterious! All but two of my bookcases are painted white. I admit I would hate to have all my furnishings in that black wood, or even all my bookshelves, but your three glass-front black bookcases in a row, I can imagine them in a wizards's or an alchemist's workshop.

Perhaps… with a lot of modifying they could be a little less brutal and stylish. But they’re from a brutal, unstylish period of time in the U.K., care of the atavistic progenitor of IKEA; MFI. But they’re useful. And I have too much tat to get rid of them

Ok the top shelf of the middle unit is the 50th birthday present from some chronners — @HareBrain @Dan Jones @Venusian Broon and @The Big Peat got me the posh Neca variant of Pennywise from the Muschetti’s It.

The statues are from my trips to Egypt, Greece, Italy, Turkey and so on. Aka dust magnets.

And… two books on the shelf are from chronners.

 

[Danny McG]