Neither seems very practical. Having books with the spine facing away from you makes it hard to pick out the books you want unless you already know which is which. That might work if it is just for you, but not if other people are using the books.

Similarly, grouping them by color makes it harder to find what you want. If you group them by type (Modern fiction, Classics, Reference, Porn, Travel, whatever) then it is much easier to find what you are looking for.

Think about going into your local library of bookstore. You tend to want to be looking for a particular type of book and want to know which shelf to look on. Few people go into a store in search of a red book or a green one. Nor do they want to have to turn them all round to find what they are looking for.

If you are a reader, neither idea makes sense. If you are not a reader and just want to use books to carry out a decorating theme, either would work as long as the "weight" is balanced across the three sections.

You have plenty of books, Even the library doesn't run books from edge to edge. Arrange groupings with accessories.

You could make dustjackets for the books and label the spines using clear printer labels and font of your choice - lots of “how to” online:

Style the shelves with 1/3 books (standing, stacked, leaning, supporting other items) 1/3 large decorative items, 1/3 open space.

The reason to keep books is to see them, right? To find things in reference books, or revisit beloved stories and experiences? if they're pages-out, you can't use them at all! The might as well be book-shaped boxes that you keep baking supplies in!

The only arranging you should do to books, at the most, is alphabetical.

What happens if you're itching to buy a book whose cover doesn't fit the decor theme? Is there a library for the misfits? ;-) As as reader, I think organizing books either way is nonsensical but I understand the decor appeal. If it's your kind of fun, try one way then the other when you want a change.

I have been known to place books with the pages facing out for a brief time in life but it was in a small cabinet. I was craving more unity of color, there weren’t too many books that I could quickly figure what was what if I wanted to pull one out.

That said it was temporary and I prefer to see books with spines facing out and not forced into specific color blocking.

I really don’t care for covering books with paper. At least if the pages are facing out you can see the sides of the books easily if they vary in size.

I like mostly books on a shelf. Some vertical, some horizontal with a few accents, and some negative space.

Do what works for you.

Respectfully, to me that look belongs in a shop and not in a home. The books in those photos are for decoration.

Never understood books w spines facing away. That said, I am an avid reader and also collect 1st editions. Quite often I will forget an authors name, but because I’m a visual learner I can 99% of the time remember what the book jacket looked like. When someone asks for a recommendation I can say “ Oh, I read a great book about serial killers in Alabama recently. Can’t recall who wrote it but it had a green cover w trees.” For me sorting by color makes perfect sense. Do what works for you.

I love the look of a wall of books with all the different colours. It's a unique look that you can only get with books. Anyone who tries to organize by colour doesn't understand the beauty of books. Anyone who turns the spines to the wall doesn't understand the purpose of books.

Did you know that with COVID that library rooms are back! And that the rooms look lived in and the books look loved and randomly (or so it looks) put rather than used as a decoration. If color coding for you means as a way to sort as Missy mentions than you should do that but it seems that you are wanting to use them as a decorative item instead? If that is the case, then I think Beverly's photos make the most sense by putting a bit of your own personality onto the shelves by adding some accessories that have some meaning to you and help break up the school library feel.

More visually interesting compared to just having all books. I want to go over and look at what is on these shelves.

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Can't you see yourself curling up to read a book in this room. Books aren't styled

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Keith Richards t in his library during COVID- don't ya just want to go out and hang out with him in this room?

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I love the look of a library but the dusting is a pain.

As a serious bibliophile, I prefer floor to ceiling, wall to wall books organized by contents or author not appearance. Oversized books are the exception because having all shelves spaced to accomodate them wastes too much space.

A library's tapestry of colors is unique to that owner. It draws me in and make me want to know more about the library and the owner. I can appreciate the skill involved in using books as decoration, but it just doesn't speak to me.

Sorry, hate, hate, hate the look of books as decor (meaning color-coded). My favorite decorating is a home filled with authentic treasures that the homeowner accumulated over a lifetime. Not many of us can really achieve that. If you love books (as I do), fill your shelves, and organized them in a way that makes sense for you. If you don't particularly love books, fill those shelves with something else you love.

What happens if you're itching to buy a book whose cover doesn't fit the decor theme?

I've banished books from certain shelves because they stuck out to much ... a series of gem toned booked just looks wrong with one white one in the middle. Likewise the prettier the spine, the more likely it gets a prominent spot. That only applies when sorting similar books, though ... The craft books go with the craft books, the novels go with the novels, and the technical books go with the technical books.

Is there a library for the misfits?

They go in the back. Don't tell me I'm the only one who has some shelves that are two books deep: front row stacked horizontally, back row I've had both horizontal, vertical, or both.

Oh, and to answer the original question:

Sorted by color is far preferable to backwards ... there's a reason that direction is "backwards;" there is a front and back to the sides of a book. (Kind-of ironic that the spine is the "front" ...)

yeah the books with the spines facing away are ridiculous. the books color coded, how will you know how to find a book by subject? if i saw this in a house i would think the books for bought strictly for decoration and they dont actually know how to read. this is my honest opinion

Can't get over this post and how utterly STUPID it is to have books with the spine away from you. Color coded is next stupid move in my book. Do us all a favor a donate those books to a local library. This is one of the most ridiculous ideas I've seen on this site.

As a huge bookworm, I laugh at the curmudgeons saying this or that is dumb or stupid... yes, turning books backwards is “interesting” - but having books in the house is wonderful, even if they are (gasp!) arranged by color. Here is our hand-built home library, there is room for some more books but soon we’ll run out 😃 And yes, I am a visual person, remembering where a given book is on the shelf (and by its color)...

I'm not a curmudgeon because I don't like books arranged by color. Good god.

Your shelves look nice though, Marta. The color coding wouldn't make sense to me (I would never be able to remember that, for example, the Plath is on the shelf with the other pinks); I prefer to group by author or subject matter, but clearly you have your own system that seems to work.

I am not a fan of the backwards books, as I feel that it removes all functionality. While design is important, good design should also be functional (IMO). However, I don’t see anything wrong with sorting the books by color, that‘s both functional and can look interesting. If it was me, and I wanted to color code, I would do small groupings of the same color on each shelf (rather than a single color per shelf) and mix in photos, plants, and decorative objects. I also like how Marta’s shelves look in the post above!

Thanks for sharing those pics, tedbixby. Love Keith Richards' home library! Love seeing all the vinyl records too. Paul Simon is another musician with a great home library. Someone had posted the link to his Connecticut house when it was for sale a while back.

No to color coding or paper covers. Curate your collection with objects that have meaning. Those potential arrangements look strange at best.

Using a phone I didn’t notice those books were turned around. That’s even more odd though.

If it’s a home library and you arranged the books, you can find them pretty easy no matter how they are organized. You can see the cover in your head, right? So you know what color it is.

Not everyone's cup of tea, but I seem to have an inherent need for my bookshelves to remain a jumble. I've tried decluttering and a more structured arrangement, but always revert to this, which somehow satisfies me.