I am a book collector. I collect books, always have, always will. And I refuse to feel guilty about that.
In my mind, there are two extremes on the spectrum of book collections. One is the hyper-organised, meticulously categorised, aesthetically harmonious collection. This usually has a cohesive theme and carefully curated editions.
The other extreme is the (organised?) chaos of a maze of books, piled precariously on any available surface, filling every space. It's a mish-mash of shapes, sizes, genres and editions, lovingly interspersed with bric-a-brac, sometimes bookish, sometimes not.
I love the idea of both of these and I think that my collection falls somewhere between the two. My books are rigorously categorised; first by genre, then author, then chronologically. But I also have a fondness for knick knacks: framed photographs, snowglobes, painted buttons and teacups. My shelves are a reflection of my personality, not only of my taste in books but of my obsessive tendencies, my sentimentality and my slight eccentricities.
I recently reorganised my collection because I got a new bookcase and I'm still in the process of arranging everything just how I want it. My various bits and pieces of random things are slowly making their way back onto the shelves, so the above photos are actually an unusually tidy representation of my collection. If you'd like me to do a bookshelf tour, with exactly how I organise everything, then please do let me know.
Is your collection big or small? Organised or messy? I'd love to know!
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