# Who gets most of your shelf space? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2002, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448 "2002-06-17T02:30:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/1 "2002-06-17T02:30:45Z")
I’ve reorganized my library for the first time in years. These are my favorite authors, by shelf space taken, in alphabetical order. 1. C J Cherryh 2. Tom Clancy 3. Len Deighton 4. Adam Hall 5. Harry Harrison 6. Joan Hess 7. David Morrell 8. Larry Niven 9. John Sanford 10. Donald Westlake Who takes up most space on your bookshelves? ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/2 "2002-06-17T03:12:18Z")
Phil Marlowe. Not Raymond Chandler, Phil Marlowe. I have books about Marlowe that aren’t by Chandler. ---
**Author:** ![Kallessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kallessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallessa)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/3 "2002-06-17T03:59:24Z")
In no particular order: 1. Charles DeLint 2. Patricia McKillip 3. Ursula LeGuin 4. Steven Brust 5. Ceclia Holland 6. Sharon K. Penman 7. P.G. Wodehouse 8. Roger Zelazney 9. Kurt Vonnegut 10. Terry Pratchett 11. Doonesbury (Gary Trudeau) 12. J.K. Rowling 13. Will and Arieal Durant 14. Ray Bradbury 15. Winnie the Pooh (yeah, only 4 titles, but several additions) If you haven’t read someone on this list, let me know and I’ll tell you why you should read them. ---
**Author:** ![Dragonblink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dragonblink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragonblink)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/4 "2002-06-17T04:37:14Z")
In roughly this order … Terry Pratchett (because I’m trying to collect the whole Discworld series) Piers Anthony (because I was into his stuff when I was younger and haven’t gotten rid of it yet) Scott Cunningham (because every Pagan should have some Cunningham) Isaac Asimov (mostly non-fiction) White Wolf (because you can never have enough RPG books) ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/5 "2002-06-17T04:43:27Z")
Oh, and my bookshelf USED to be a lot more interesting, but my mom put all but three of my books in storage when i moved away to college, and what i have now is ONE SHELF worth of books i acquired while at school. ---
**Author:** ![grendel72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/91b2a8/32.png) [@grendel72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grendel72)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/6 "2002-06-17T04:54:45Z")
Stephen King, not even because he’s my favorite (although I certainly like his stuff), but because his books are so damn long. I swear he must be personally responsible for clearing out several rain-forests. ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/7 "2002-06-17T07:40:48Z")
Piet Hein > [@](#): > > Living is > a thing to do > Now or never - > Which do you? ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/8 "2002-06-17T14:49:10Z")
Martin Amis Kingsley Amis Robert B. Parker Carl Hiaasen Michael Malone James Ellroy Geoff Nicholson Don De Lillo Paul Theroux Henry Miller Norman Mailer ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/9 "2002-06-17T15:32:03Z")
No one novelist or biographer takes up that much room . . . Footage-wise, most space is taken up with history series: Time/Life’s _This Fabulous Century_, Mark Sullivan’s _Our Times_, the Dover _Then and Now_ books. ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/10 "2002-06-17T15:55:47Z")
Collectively (me & Mr. Pol) - probably Stephen King, for the same reason \*\* grendel72\*\* mentioned. My personal collection (kinda hard to tell cause they’re in several places) - probably - Robert A Heinlein - Larry Niven - Piers Anthony (ditto on the Stephen King comment) - Terry Pratchett - Spider Robinson (would be more if the guy were more prolific!) ---
**Author:** ![ukbanshee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/8e8cbc/32.png) [@ukbanshee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ukbanshee)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/11 "2002-06-17T16:00:10Z")
John Grisham Lee Child Ernest Hemmingway ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/12 "2002-06-17T16:00:10Z")
Lotsa Commie books, lotsa foreign language grammars and dictionaries. ---
**Author:** ![Leifsmama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a698b9/32.png) [@Leifsmama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leifsmama)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/13 "2002-06-17T16:01:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kallessa \* > \*\*In no particular order: > 3. Ursula LeGuin > If you haven’t read someone on this list, let me know and I’ll tell you why you should read them. \*\* **Kallessa** I’ve picked up Ursula many times, but never had the nerve to buy. I want to know, please tell me. As for my book shelf, there’s only a couple Dorothy L. Sayers Lillian Jackson Braun Berkely Brethed Barbra Kingslover Robert Jordan–but not for long, I’ve lost faith ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/14 "2002-06-17T16:04:35Z")
Interesting question… most of my favourite authors aren’t terribly prolific, so actual shelf inches don’t reflect their importance to me… so, when I actually think about this one, the results are quite surprising. Ed McBain Terry Pratchett Arthur C. Clarke Patrick O’Brian Isaac Asimov “Doc” Smith Lindsay Davis Ellis Peters E. C. Tubb Brian Aldiss Michael Moorcock Stanislaw Lem ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/15 "2002-06-17T16:08:09Z")
The Heinlein Shelf-and-a-Half is definitely the dominating territory-holder. There’s a tie for a close second place by Roger Zelazny (mostly because my husband’s policy is: one copy of an out-of-print Zelazny novel, _good_, so three copies, _better_) and Robert Jordan (because when he _was_ reading the series, he insisted on getting the big honkin’ hard-cover as each book came out.) ---
**Author:** ![booklover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/16 "2002-06-17T16:46:21Z")
**Kallessa** , you and I would get along well. My list: Charles de Lint Ray Bradbury Kurt Vonnegut Madeleine L’Engle Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling (editors of the “Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror” annual—those suckers are THICK, so they have two shelves of their own) Winnie the Pooh (many variations thereof, but only classic, non-Disneyfied Pooh). Also, there are two categories that take up lots of space: gymnastics and the bubonic plague (hey, I’m a woman of varied interests). ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/17 "2002-06-17T16:55:02Z")
In terms of sheer shelf space, the following authors rule my bookshelves: Orson Scott Card - 33 books Terry Pratchett - 27 boks (including “Good Omens”, which he co-authored with Neil Gaiman) Isaac Asimov - 17 books All of these are paperback editions. ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/18 "2002-06-17T16:55:16Z")
In terms of sheer shelf space, the following authors rule my bookshelves: Orson Scott Card - 33 books Terry Pratchett - 27 books (including “Good Omens”, which he co-authored with Neil Gaiman) Isaac Asimov - 17 books All of these are paperback editions. ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/19 "2002-06-17T16:58:07Z")
:smack: ---
**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:** [June 17, 2002, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448/20 "2002-06-17T17:48:23Z")
In no particular order: 1.) Sir Richard Francis Burton (1001 nights, Pilgrimage, First Footsteps, etc.) 2.) Robert Heinlein 3.) Fredric Brown 4.) Robert H. Von Gulik 5.) Ian Fleming 6.) Jack L. Chalker 7.) H.P. Lovecraft (with a little August Derleth et al) 8.) Robert E. Howard 9.) Edgar Rice Burroughs This doesn’t necessarily represent my favorites – some writers (Stanley G. Weinbaum) didn’t write much. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-most-of-your-shelf-space/114448.md?page=2)