TROUBLE FINDING BOOKS ON YOUR BOOKSHELVES PART 2

Further to my piece via a Guardian newspaper blog a couple of days back on the trouble of finding books on your shelves I remembered overnight that Annie had given me a book a few years back relevant to this very subject and after a little
hunting (!)I have located it.

LIVING WITH BOOKS by Alan Powers , Mitchell Beazley 1999.

I can warmly recommend this title but I fear it will sadly be out of print by now but you may find a copy from an on-line bookseller who deals in pre-loved books or you may be able to borrow a copy from your local library?

Powers writes and lectures on architecture and applied art and at the time of writing his book he was Librarian of the Prince of Wales' Institute of Architecture.He has contributed many pieces to various UK magazines and to books on modern interiors.He seems well qualified on the subject.

The following is a quote from the cover blurb which summarises the book quite nicely:

"Books are among the commonest but most treasured possessions in a home, and living with books is an art in itself, all the more necessary as the functions of home and workplace begin to merge. This book explores the many different ways in which books can not only be stored, but be made to play a full part in the character of a house or flat".

There are a vast range of ideas regarding storing books including in odd spaces like staircases, corridors and hallways as well as advice on planning and building bookshelves.
One of the ideas we got from the book was to create book stacks in different places around the house, perhaps in rooms where there are no bookshelves, or on an otherwise unused hall table or the like.Several of our freinds have copied this idea to good effect.

I love it when publishers make a special effort with end-papers and this book is a good example. Most appealing, congratulations to the publisher and their designers.