Ta'veren Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 All my books are on bookshelves, and their arrangement is kept to a minimum. The only order is that the same authors are typically found in the same place, and if it's a series, then it progresses from left to right. No alphabetical, genre, colour etc ordering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 A recent thread inspired me to see if we had an old thread on this topic, and so we do! I arrange my books by genre. Then, it depends on what fits where, ie. some shelves are higher than others and so the bigger books go in the bigger shelves. Generally for any genre, I see which authors I have the biggest amount of books of, so I'm certain to put those together on one shelf (so that the author's work is all on the same shelf). Then I work out the leftover spaces (if any) and the space on top (if any). Usually all the books of one author are together (or as together as I can make them), but the order depends. For fantasy and science-fiction it's usually based on series, ie. the prequel comes before the main series (so chronologically). Sometimes I organise based on publication order, sometimes based on colour, sometimes based on what fits, sometimes based on size (if sizes differ) and sometimes based on which one I bought first or read first. Hmm I realise that makes me sound a bit unorganised ! If I had a lot more space I'd do it differently, but there sometimes isn't enough space to display everything neatly (I'd love to have a big library with everything neatly organisable). I try to put books with a similar theme together (ie. family) though only if there is the space for it, which there often isn't. My historical fiction books are organised based on time period for a part of it (so the books that are about the earliest time period, first on the left). Then I ran out of space so just put the rest where it fit. Anyone else who wants to add anything (maybe someone who hasn't replied yet to this thread)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dex Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 My books are arranged by author and because I have some large sets that aren't alphabetical, New authors get slotted in if they fit. I'm currently running out of space again so I keep looking at certain fantasy authors to see if i want to read them again. Connelly and Jardine are my largest authors at around 20 books each. Then Colin Dexter then Probably John Harvey and Piers Anthony. Because I started new authors, their sets also build up. Lackberg, Nesbo, Dibdin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Oh dear!! many of you will know that I arrange my books in aesthetically pleasing piles I have got a small number of bookcases and I tend to put my faves on them. I also invariably colour code them if I can get away with it Obviously it's not exactly an organised system .. however .. I'm surprising myself how well I've memorised it because Alan has recently been asking for me to suggest reads and I've always been able to go straight to the book each time (and this is nothing short of a miracle as they're spread over four floors .. that is .. there are four levels to the house .. I'm not making people trip over them ) I don't like to split sets of books up so do tend to stick them all together even if their colours are clashing violently .. sometimes I will poach a book from a set though because it fits a colour scheme well It wouldn't do for most people I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Whatever works for you Pops ! Your books probably look very pretty together and as long as you can find things.. I know some people who have a specific shelf or area with TBR books versus shelves with books they've read. We all do different things based on what we like, I think that's nice. (P. S. I'd love to see some photos sometime of your colourful books. I loved the one you posted a while ago.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Whatever works for you Pops ! Your books probably look very pretty together and as long as you can find things.. I know some people who have a specific shelf or area with TBR books versus shelves with books they've read. We all do different things based on what we like, I think that's nice. (P. S. I'd love to see some photos sometime of your colourful books. I loved the one you posted a while ago.) Thanks Athena I will take some more up-to-date pics soon ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 I've just moved house so at the minute they are all boxed up and will probably stay that way for a little while until we get our house built Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sakura Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 I really do not have enough room for them I had 2 billy shelves with upper extension, but then my boyfriend moved in and he needed some room too, so now I have exactly one billy shelf for all my books. Not enough room by far, so a lot of them are on a big pile in the bedroom mixed in with the SUB. That what I have on actual shelves is ordered first by series (about 80% of my reads are serial), author then genre. They tend to get a bit mixed up all the time though, when I need to fit in one more book in a series in the remaining space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 Coran and I have between us 3 large cupboards mostly full of books - I say mostly as one of them also contains some old photo albums. 2 of the cupboards are for my books - 1 cupboard for fiction and 1 for non fiction, and 1 cupboard is for Corans books. I also have a shelf in my work room (study) with books about publishing and (of course) a copy of each of the 2 editions of my own book. This is of course in addition to all my Kindle books, which are stored in different folders according to either the year in which they were read, or the genre (classics and so on). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 (edited) I'm sure I contributed to a thread on this topic at some time, but can't find it, so here goes! I'm totally anal about this: OH is convinced that this is my male obsessiveness showing through (we have both read somewhere that all men are somewhere on the autistic spectrum, it's just a matter of degree): In general terms, Fiction (adult separated from children's) is organised alphabetically by author (series in chronological order), as is Drama and Poetry, History by continent then chronologically, Biography chronologically, Travel into writing and guides, then by continent (Europe by country) then author; other subject areas (e.g. Architecture, Art, Books, Earth Sciences, Food, Landscape and Local History, London, Natural History, Philosophy and Religion, Science, Sport) is by chronology (content, not publication!), author, or topic depending on what seems most suited. I said it was anal! Edited September 15, 2013 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 Makes perfect sense to me to be honest.. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 My paperbooks are all higgeldy-piggedly really, mostly stacked in order of size (some hardcovers will only fit on a particular shelf), but that's about it as far as organisation. For my Kindle books, once I have read them I file them in the year they were read. All unread ones are unfiled - I have 24 pages worth to choose from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardengirl Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 same as Bobblybear regarding hardbacks and paperbacks, just by size. On the Kindle, order in which I have read them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 (edited) In Eileen Roth & Elizabeth Miles - Organizing for Dummies, the book I'm reading on the Kindle at the moment, they advise to organise your books by subject (what I call genre for fiction books, I suppose) and then alphabetically. This made me wonder if I should reorganise my book cases (I seem to do a lot of that lately ..), with heavy books going on the lower shelves and lighter books on the top shelves. But then again, it's kind of good the way it is. The books that I reach for more often are in the middle in the front rows, heavy books are on the bottom (most of the time) and lighter books near the top. It's not alphabetically at all though and while I can find most things, when I have just a single book of an author it can be harder to find. Genre wise everything is together in certain sections. It's really interesting reading how people organise their book shelves. Edited September 23, 2013 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookmonkey Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Mine are usually put on the shelf in order of purchase. I'm planning to organise them properly by subject one day (they're all nonfiction). I have some in a boxes in the shed, too. Even though there's no real system I can usually find what I want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kreader Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Mine are arranged by genre. I've got two study shelves, one fiction (sci-fi/fantasy), one creative and the last is a fact shelf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Mine are by genre but that's about it now. I used to have them arranged by the date I brought them but since moving they are arranged by genre and tbh I think I like it a lot more like that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TStarnes Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 I am the same. Mine are by genre and thats it. I just don't care enough about organizing to do by author or title Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander the Great Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 My book collection grew chaotically, but over the past two weeks I've had to empty my entire room and then put everything back, so I had the perfect opportunity to rearrange them. I went with language and genre. I have a Virginia Woolf shelf and then next to that are my English classics. English fiction is underneath that, and I did try to keep the few YA novels together. Then next to that, I've got historical fiction in English and Dutch. Underneath is historical non non fiction in English and Dutch. I also have a section with crime books, one with fantasy, and then I have Dutch fiction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Mine get more and more disorganised as time goes on … after Christmas every year, we have a new shelf full of books, so unless I've cleared a proper space before hand, OH just takes others off the shelves and moves them around to keep all the new ones together, splits up series and puts some in the attic … I can't find anything any more! He's moved one book in particular I wanted to find a few weeks ago, and now we can't find it anywhere I'm sure it'll turn up eventually (they always do) but it's so frustrating. Another good reason for buying ebooks instead … he daren't touch my Kindle!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Claire, maybe you need a few dozen/hundred of these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 So cool, but I'd probably need about 500! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emelee Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 First, I order by book format. Paperbacks go on one shelf, hardcovers on another (preferably after size!). After sorting that out, I sort the smaller groups by genre. And finally, if I have more than one book by an author. So if I have one paperback by Dickens, and one hardcover also by Dickens, then they will end up on different shelves. I have all my books added to LibraryThing, so I can easy look up what books by a certain author that I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Jumbled. More or less dictated by size. At one time I tried to keep my books of Victorian interest/research on one shelf but it has outgrown that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felidae Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 No particular order but I tend to keep the books I want to read sometime soon at the front.. And also books I think are pretty are very visible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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