We have nine bookcases in an L hallway downstairs. Book jackets are on the books. There is no right or wrong, only what you/your DH agree to.

Do you think the colorful book jackets get in the way of your decor?

I think dust jackets are an integral component of the whole book package--they frequently include interesting info on the flaps, like the writer's bio and mentions of previous titles by the writer. They can be very artistic (sometimes on the spine, too). Frequently you can make out the title a lot easier than when the dust jacket is off and you have to look at the imprinted title (sometimes that's smaller print).

It seems you're trying to make the shelves more uniform-looking, but with the mix of books you described, it'll never happen. Don't control the books--just let them be.

A "right way" to display books? No, as Allison says. But I think the better term is "arrange," and you can do that a number of ways--by size, by author, by subject, by hardback vs paperback, etc. Or you can do what some others have done (and which we've had a lively discussion about here!): by color of dust jacket. But don't get me started on that!

AAACK Pammyfay! My DD does that. It's interesting, but it's also weird to see her lighthearted fiction mixed in with medical journals.

I leave the dust jackets on the books that have them. I prefer that for the reasons Pammy says...it's easier to read them. I've got a mix of both paperback & hardback, vintage and current best seller. Fiction and textbooks. The whole gamut in 7 bookcases. I've got mine mixed up with books and decor, some on the same shelf. I tend to sort by author/genre so it's easier to find what I'm looking for.

I personally like my books to look like the shelves of the local library...stuffed and just waiting for me to dive in.

Thanks, everyone. I read a lot and sort by author also in fiction and my favorite nonfiction categories so I can find what I want. I tried to sort by color once and thought I was going to go crazy looking for stuff; doesn't work for me. I'd like to go along with DH, but didn't want visitors to laugh and point if dustjackets on shelved books are a joke unless you're a bookstore. I alwaYs take the jackets off to read them, can't stand the feel of a jacket moving around on the book.

Both styles in my bookcases ... plus some of the books sit horizontally -- and some are even turned around at times .... just depends on the season ... and the reason ....

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

If you want to make a statement and have a lot of leather bound books, go for it and take off the jackets. However, for everyday, the jackets do protect the books and usually make it easier to read the titles. Depends on what you want to emphasize.

If you're asking what I do, I leave the jackets on :)

I don't have a large collection of books. I do have a good-sized collection of cocktail books in my Tiki Lounge and though they are on a section of my mug collection bookcases, I want to have a separate bamboo shelf made for all of them. I also have a small collection of coffee-table books (Decor, Tiki, Kitsch, etc.) and those are stored stacked and I move them around to different locations depending on how I am entertaining.

As far as covers...I love them, they are the art of the book and sometimes are the prompt for me to buy a book. I always leave the cover on. I agree, no rule about jacket on or off, that is a personal choice. :-)

Susanka, I love your slag glass floor lamp. *Drool*

I don't think you should attempt to remove covers or arrange books by colour, etc. Books just "are" and I'm envious of your collection. (I have a library card and I know how to use it.)

*If* you are craving symmetry for your eyes, perhaps you could choose two similar, larger and boldly coloured (black, red, orange, shiny metal?) objects to place on shelves at eye level on either side of the fireplace. How about another blue willow plate on the other side and higher up?

Just my thoughts... I'm not a designer. :-)

...Pam

didn't want visitors to laugh and point if dustjackets on shelved books are a joke Dust jackets are very practical - they keep the spines from fading. And if anyone laughs at my bookcases they don't get invited back!

I always take the jackets off to read them Me too.

For book collectors, a book with a jacket is more valuable than one without a jacket. A jacket that is intact is more valuable than one that is beat up. So, the book lover's choice is to keep the dust jacket on the book when it is shelved and to remove the dust jacket when the book is being read.

Jackets have a purpose, as mentioned earlier, since they protect the edges and spine of the book itself and help prevent damage from the elements.

I'll pass along what I've learned from DH since he has a collection of signed books. If you ever sell or donate your hardback books you'll find they're more valuable with the jacket, especially 1st edition books. With his collectibles, DH goes one step further and puts a clear cover over the jackets so all edges are protected.

He sorts by Author, and paperbacks are not mixed with hardbacks but have a section of their own.

As a collector of rare books, I cringe at the thought of removing dust jackets. The jackets protect the books. For collectible books, much of the value is tied to the condition of the dust jacket since that's usually the first thing to suffer damage. A rare book in fine condition with the original jacket also in fine condition is often worth about 85% to 90% more than the book alone would be.

Damp and sun are the big enemies of books, so do protect the books. Books are usually happiest standing upright and square. If a book leans, you'll eventually have what is call a "cocked spine" in book collector's lingo. I do put some tall books on their sides. They aren't valuable, and I have a problem with insufficient shelf space.

There are as many ways to organize books as there are people. It would never occur to me to group books by color, but I do understand the impulse to group by size, because it may enable you to squeeze in another shelf! (Did I mention that I have a book problem?) I prefer genre/author/title, but I won't reorganize and move shelves just to keep one or two tall books in the right order. I also tend to put biographies of an author with the author's works, because I'm never going to remember who wrote the biographies.

Joycesvoices, that's funny & I like your perspective! After I moved to a fairly *suburban* area I noticed the same book-less phenomenon. A very affluent neighbor seems to truly not own a book to her name! There's plenty of other stuff sitting around, believe me.

Someone told me to take the jackets off of my books once. (Whew, imagine...naked books...how risque!) She said they looked better that way. I don't see why. (I like my books covered up, thank you.) Really, I think that's kind of trying too hard if you ask me.

Now that I look more closely, I see that my books do look a little sheepish. They are probably more modest and demure than I realized; you'd think I'd know better after a quarter century with them. (If you think I'm crazy, read stinky-gardener's post for a laugh.)

I'm going to make DH happy and put the jackets on before he gets home; I rarely give in easily on a disagreement, so this will be a pleasant surprise for him!

Thank you all for your thoughtful advice. Once I get this finished I'll start on my five downstairs bookcases. (And I'm planning to list about 200 books on Craigslist and reduce the downstairs count by a third.)

I'm glad you like the lamp, prairiedawn; it wasn't terribly expensive.

Someone once told me I shouldn't have a plant on the bookcase, but this one is more than 25 years old, has glossy leaves if I water it only once in a while, and some kind of exotic bloom, so it stays where it's happy!

woah, this forum is tough on folks who do not have a lot of books around! I have a Kindle and give the hard copy books I do buy to our preschool to sell at their annual fundraiser. But looking around my house I guess someone could assume I don't read - brutal.

Arrange them in a way that pleases you - that's the only rule!

And I'm another one who thinks whether or not you see "books on display" in someone's home isn't an indication of intelligence, education or whether they value books or not. I'm a librarian and you won't find books on display in my home. I do have a small bookcase in the kitchen which houses my favorite cookbooks. My husband has a study in the rear of the home which does have several bookcases.

If you walked into my home you'd think we weren't readers - you wouldn't see his study and even my magazines are housed in a closet off the kitchen.

And with the prevalence of Kindles and other types of readers fewer people are purchasing expensive hardbacks.

laurainlincoln and quilly, you are absolutely right! I tried a Kindle and didn't care for it; I love the feel and smell and everything about books. And I spend so much time at the computer anyway the books are a nice change.

We live next door to a librarian who doesn't even like books, which surprised me, but after getting to know her I understand to her they are just "product". (Not that this is typical of most librarians, I'm not implying that.)

Thanks again, all.

How do you get the book's author to sign the flyleaf on a Kindle?

I think it depends on how the owner of a book wishes to store it. I never knew there was a rule about this kind of thing ;)

Suero--interesting thought! But I, for one, have never seen the value of having books signed by their authors, because I don't buy books for any future sale or thought of cashing in big when the author suddenly dies. To me, there's no extra (nonfinancial) value if a book is signed by the author. I just enjoy the writing for what it is.

With 2 big book fairs in the D.C. area just passed, I came to the conclusion that there is no author I can think of who's worth my time standing in line for just to get his/her slapdash signature!

Here's another vote for keeping the dust jackets on. They really do help protect the books, and they make it easier to find a particular book on the shelf. Also, if you ever sell any of your books, even ones that are not particularly valuable, the dust jackets will allow you to get MUCH more for them.

I don't know about jackets/no jackets...I just put them in some sort of order on the shelf...exactly as I got them :^) Since I am a garage sale shopper, that could be anything!
I DO however KNOW that I need a bird throw like you have on the couch. That is BEAUTIFUL!!
J

jaybird, I agree about the throw. It's made by Vicky Howard, although I'm not sure it's available any more. It's not very soft, so isn't comfortable as a throw, but I don't care; it's art to me. We no longer have that sofa, but I sure kept the throw!

Jackets are back on, and DH is happy. I'll take a photo when I finish getting the books back on the shelves.

Thanks again, everyone.

I too, remove the jacket when I read a book. But I put the jacket back on when the book goes on the shelf. I think there's a reason it's called a "dust jacket."

If I have shelves with all one genre, say, reference books, mysteries or children's books, I arrange them by color. It seems that most Stephen King books have black spines, lol. Classic and current fiction is arranged by author.

Glad you made your hubby happy!