Moving the alphabetical sequence round was easy. The really difficult part was rearranging the tbr shelves. I have the tbr arranged by imprint or by subject. I like to keep my favourite publishers together - Persephone, Greyladies, Slightly Foxed, Virago, Hesperus, Canongate, Girls Gone By, Vintage, British Library Crime Classics, Folio Society, Oxford & Penguin Classics - & then I have sections for literary criticism, biographies, letters & diaries & history (in chronological order by country, of course), general fiction & crime fiction.
The shelves had become a bit mixed as I desperately tried to fit a few more books on to already overcrowded shelves. In the end, I had to put some books on the floor in categories to see where I needed to make space.
In the end, I had to combine literary biographies, letters & diaries in one chronological sequence which gave me more room for general historical non-fiction & biographies in the bay on the far right. I have bays of fiction on either side of the non-fiction because, quite honestly, I was exhausted by the end of all that & needed a cup of tea. Maybe I'll move all the non-fiction together next weekend...
Oh what bookish joy. Thanks for sharing. My Vera Brittain shelf looks a lot like yours, same editions, mostly.
ReplyDeleteWe obviously both first heard of Vera through the 1970's TV series!
Deletevery nice! Would love to see a close up too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lory. Another blogger did a series of posts of her books a shelf at a time. Maybe I'll do something similar.
DeleteI had an immediate surge of envy when I saw those empty shelves. I need to buy more cases but have no room for them. Thanks for sharing the lovely pictures. I love browsing other people's shelves, even virtually.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid the shelves won't be empty for very long... Still, I had a lot of fun moving everything around. I still have a couple of walls for more bookcases though, which is a good thing!
DeleteLovely new shelves, and I like your thinking. We've had just the one new bookcase moving upstairs books downstairs was tiring but so satisfying.
ReplyDeleteI counted it as my exercise for the day. It was wet & cold so I didn't really want to go for a walk & book moving was an excellent alternative.
DeleteAm envious. They look gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThanks Margaret.
DeleteVery satisfying to see that come together!
ReplyDeleteIt was. It satisfied this librarian's soul.
DeleteOh Lyn it's lovely! Like Lory I would love to see a close up.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rose. I'll post some more close-up photos next week, I think.
DeleteI have an old bookshelf that's collapsing so I'm window-shopping for a new one. That's my excuse for putting off a shelf-reorganizing project! What a great way to become exhausted... :)
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned above, it was my exercise for the day! It was also an excuse to order a few more books...
DeleteAfter living for more than a year now with double and triple stacking of books (despite giving piles away for charity every now and then), I think I'm coming round to your solution. More shelves!
ReplyDeleteI'm lucky to still have a couple of walls free for bookcases. I don't know what I'll do when I run out of walls but hopefully that's many years away yet.
DeleteYou and I have been doing similar things! I've just finished my annual cleaning of the bookshelves. Just removing the books, wiping down the shelves, and lightly vacuuming the books. This always takes longer than it should because I invariably start leafing through certain books and reading bits here and there. I'll be posting some photos on my blog one of these days.
ReplyDeleteI cleaned all the shelves as I moved the books, it was a good chance. Like you, it takes longer than you think because I stop & read things. I look forward to your photos.
DeleteJust wonderful! The bookcases are gorgeous, and the organization inspiring. Enjoy it all.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarah, I enjoyed doing it.
DeleteIt looks great and it's exactly what I should be doing with my books, then I wouldn't have to spend ages looking for particular books - as I do now.
ReplyDeleteI do like to know where things are, it's the librarian in me.
DeleteOooh, yes, empty shelf envy. Haven't seen an empty shelf in years! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe only trouble is, I feel this mad urge to fill up all those spaces. Hopefully I can restrain my self for a little while.
DeleteLovely oak shelves make books appear more enticing, don't they? Are there any more books anywhere else in your home or is that the complete collection, so far?
ReplyDeleteI have four walls with built-in bookshelves as well as the new bookcases. Luckily, I also still have a few bare walls for future bookcases!
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