# How do you organize your book shelf? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 6, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112 "2012-11-06T18:08:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/1 "2012-11-06T18:08:24Z")
Inspired by this [article](http://www.theglobalmail.org/feature/people-of-the-bookshelf/413/). Do you organize at all? Alphabetized by author? By title? Do you group in subjects? I don’t organize them much. I put most of the current - the ones I’m working with - together; _most_ of them. And that is all. The rest, well mostly I’m pleased with myself for having shelved my books at all. (I’m not what people would call tidy.) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/2 "2012-11-06T18:38:36Z")
Organized by topic (often in separate rooms and separate bookshelves) – Religion in one room, Classics in one bookcase, mysteries in another, science fiction all together in one cluster, with history and science nearby. Humor in another room, etc. Within esach group, it depends. Classics are organized by year. Science fiction alphabetically by author. Religion roughly by year of founding and location. Mysteries by how much I like reading them. Oversized books go where they can fit, with little organization. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/3 "2012-11-06T18:43:55Z")
I know that book is in the house. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/4 "2012-11-06T18:50:05Z")
I try to group by subjects, but because I’ve got my Billy bookcases stuffed with extra shelves, the height of the book also makes a difference. In general I don’t have a problem getting novels on the short shelves and nonfiction on the tall shelves, but it isn’t always perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/5 "2012-11-06T18:53:27Z")
Color and size. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/6 "2012-11-06T18:58:31Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Color and size. Pictures or it didn’t happen. 🙂 I saw a photo somewhere of bookshelves organized that way – it was art, very cool. Mine are sorted by genre, then alphabetical by author. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/7 "2012-11-06T19:04:05Z")
They never look as arty as the kind of pictures you’re thinking of. I’m pretty sure those people go out and specifically buy books with varying hued spines. Unfortunately, I am still unpacking from my move and while the books are on shelves and out of boxes, organizing them is next weekend’s project. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/8 "2012-11-06T19:11:26Z")
Shelf? _Shelf?_ Singular? It is to laugh. There are 13 bookcases, 4 other shelves and an indeterminate amount of floorspace at Casa Silenus dedicated to books. Each has a different organizational system. But usually they are by author. Or subject then author. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/9 "2012-11-06T19:11:49Z")
Fiction I have always organized alphabetically by author’s last name, paperback and hardcover separately. For nonfiction I tried a few different systems, none of which worked very well. A few years ago I bought a lifetime membership to [librarything.com](http://librarything.com). They provide the Library of Congress catalog call numbers for most books, so that makes a convenient way to organize my nonfiction books. Since I made the switch, I never have to hunt around for that one book out of the 1800 books I have catalogued. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/10 "2012-11-06T19:16:51Z")
Mostly alphbetized by author within subject catgories, with exceptions. Cookbooks and reference books are not alphbetized, but subgrouped by catgory. (IE, Paleo and low-carb together, books on coffee and tea together, etc.) Travel books geographicall arrange. Mass market size mysteries and science fiction-fantasy have their own dedicated shelves, but trade and hardcover are in with other fiction. Newest acquisitons are in stacks and piles beside my bed and on end tables. They are scattered throughout my living space, because 1) no one room can hold them all 2) I do believe the maxin that a room without books is a room without a soul. By that criteria, my rooms have a lot of soul. ---
**Author:** ![misling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@misling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misling)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/11 "2012-11-06T19:19:01Z")
Fiction: bunched together by Author’s last name first letter (A’s are together, I mean, but not in order within A’s). Nonfiction: grouped by area of interest and amount of books: Weaving and knitting each have their own sections, “Science” is one big section, etc. I think there’re about 25 bookcases, so if there wasn’t some sort of organization, I wouldn’t find anything. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/12 "2012-11-06T19:21:40Z")
Hit or miss. SF is alphabetical, but most books are put on a shelf and I remember where they are when I need them. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/13 "2012-11-06T19:23:40Z")
Big heavy ones on the bottom shelf. Otherwise, not much rhyme or reason. I try to swap or donate most books once I’ve read them. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/14 "2012-11-06T19:29:19Z")
I have them sorted loosely by genre. The living room shelves have mostly non-fiction, classics, historical fiction and literary fiction. The study shelves have mostly science fiction, fantasy and mysteries, but there’s a big section of British historical fiction in there too, dedicated to authors like Patrick O’Brian, C. S. Forester, George MacDonald Fraser and Bernard Cornwell. I will put all of an author’s books together (there’s some anxiety when an author writes in more than one genre) but I don’t sort alphabetically at all. I keep the mass market paperbacks shelved separately, sorted by genre. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/15 "2012-11-06T19:30:03Z")
I group in subject areas and suborganize in different ways. My fiction area is alphaed by author. My vampire bookcase has the “good” books (from major university presses and so forth) on the shelf at eye-level; the further a book gets from that shelf, the less reputable it is. My history books are organized by region, and then roughly chronologically within regions. Roughly, the sections I have are: Religion (sacred books first, then religious history or commentary) Poetry Books I have written or contributed to General Reference STEM Skepticism and the Paranormal Literary Journals Music Film Sports Social Science Folklore Fiction “Humanities” (Philosophy, Ethics, etc.) Eastern European History Russian History Asian History Art (a non sequitor, but that’s where the space was) World History Latin American History Middle Eastern History African History General European History British Empire European mongraphs by period American History Great Plains History African-American History Native American History American Travel Language Reference Massage Graphic Novels Vampires Folkloristics Historiography Social Theory (Geertz, Foucault, et. al.) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/16 "2012-11-06T19:36:54Z")
I use the Little Nemo system. 1. Paperbacks go on their own shelves because of their size. Fiction is filed by author’s last name mostly. Except for short story collections, reference books, and a few other special categories which get their own section. 2. Graphic novels also get their own shelves due to their unusual size (and they’re usually heavier than standard books so they need stronger shelves). Standard sized graphic novels are arranged by series. Non-standard size graphic novels go on a separate shelf. 3. Fiction is kept separate from non-fiction. Fiction is generally organized by author. Except for the collections again. 4. Non-fiction is loosely organized by subject. What defines a subject is a mystery even to me. 5. Series are generally kept together. Except when they’re not. 6. Over-sized books usually have their own shelves. 7. Cookbooks go in the kitchen. 8. Keep the books I’m currently reading in some handy spot. Or sometimes several handy spots. 9. Always keep library or other borrowed books in one spot so they don’t get lost. 10. Keep books about movies and TV near the movie collection. 11. Always keep a few books in the bathroom for reading there. 12. And keep a few books in the car in case I want to read when I stop somewhere. 13. Gaming books and manuals go with the games. 14. Some books end up next to the computer if I’m working on something. 15. Some shelves have no order at all except I put the books up there to get them out of the way until I have a chance to put them some place better. 16. Some books are boxed up because I don’t have room for them. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/17 "2012-11-06T19:50:39Z")
Alphabetical by the authors’ first name of the first review on the back. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/18 "2012-11-06T21:56:14Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Alphabetical by the authors’ first name of the first review on the back. I use the Casey Stengel technique, Alphabetically by height 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Beastly\_Rotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Beastly\_Rotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastly_Rotter)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/19 "2012-11-06T22:13:27Z")
Big ones on the left, small ones on the right. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112/20 "2012-11-06T22:21:17Z")
TRYING - not achieving - just TRYING - to do it by author. But the husband is the bookshelf builder - and I’ve taken over an entire bedroom with my collection - and since he did his community service at a library (which was WAY cool for me! :D) a few years ago, I still have a number of boxes of books that haven’t been unboxed/sorted. They’re everywhere. I know - I have to make sense of it all someday. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-organize-your-book-shelf/640112.md?page=2)