expose yourshelf

skip from santa fe

2010-04-15T09:37:00.006-07:00

Number 1 is in my living room. I didn't straighten it up for this shot, but I do keep it pretty straight because of all the traffic that goes by it.

Number 2 is in another room.

Number 3 is one of my set of shelves for cookbooks! Never enough room for these.

anonymous

2009-05-11T11:50:00.003-07:00

"Others live before us so that they may be before us now for us."

eva syrovy

2009-04-14T11:31:00.003-07:00

Life without my books, or without my bike, might not be totally unbearable - but it would be very challenging. And I live in a tiny, tiny house, and I'm not about to park my baby out in the weather. So my two loves share pride of place.
And yes, my books are a mess. Always have been, always will be.

[sue's note: be sure to click on these photos... they're quite large and you can really voyeur in!]

anne armentrout

2009-04-07T09:55:00.005-07:00

We moved into a new and smaller house about four months ago. I have had to purge -- again! -- my collection of books; however, my loss is gain for The Book Thing in Baltimore, for Friends of the Library books sales in Abingdon and now in Staunton, Virginia, as well as for friends in sundry locations.

I also had to make choices about what would go in the wall unit in my study, where I spend most of my time. Mostly, it's plays and books related to theatre and drama. There are some literature and grammar. Up top is most of my collection related to the arts and fine crafts I presume to practice, winnowed from a larger aggregation of volumes: books concerning any art or craft with which I was not already deeply engaged have been shown the door as a concession not only to limited space but also to the realization that my life's time and my ability to accomplish is also limited.

Poetry, fiction and pretty much everything else now reside in bookcases in that part of the house to which my spousal unit has chief claim, and so far, there is pretty much a place for everything even if every book is not as yet in a proper and artfully arranged place. Even though available space for books is at a premium, I am still unable to stop buying; but I try to follow the rule that for every book that comes in, at least one (and if possible, two) goes out.

linda gresham, at the dock in tacoma, washington

2009-04-04T08:31:00.001-07:00

Here you have the main bookshelf as well as an adjunct shelf on our sailboat home. To remain on the shelf a book must prove its value year after year, for there is not a lot of room to keep a dull book. Some are always in transit with us, but others are always trying to find a place of importance. Throughout the boat are scattered so many books trying out for a more permanent place, but sometimes they get left at the thrift shop or library book sale where others are invited for a stay on the lovely "small rain".

PS After a day sailing the books rearrange themselves and must be hardy to survive.

bruce harris bentzman

2009-03-26T12:37:00.005-07:00

Shelf 1 - shelves behind my desk:

Shelf 2 - shelves I face when at my desk:

Shelf 3 - shelves next to reading chair:

As to who Bruce is, you can read his essays (Suburban Soliloquies) in the poetry webzine, Snakeskin.

jessy

2009-03-16T19:21:00.004-07:00

I estimate there are about 2000 books in my house. I'm a librarian so you'd think there's be a strict ordering system, and actually there is but it's not something easy to articulate. This particular bookshelf is for poetry, and for a few other things as space allows. For example, the five books on the far left of the second-to-the-bottom shelf are the five books that have been most important and inspiring to me, poetry-wise, in the last few years, even though they are not poetry: Lynda Barry's The Greatest of Marlys!, John Porcellino's King-Cat Comics, Maira Kalman's The Principles of Uncertainty, Julia Child's My Life in France, and Calvin Tomkins's Off the Wall: A Portrait of Robert Rauschenberg.

Jessy is a local Colorado Springs poet and also serves as the Curator of Special Collections for Colorado College's library.

jaime (jay-me, not hi-me)

2009-02-18T19:22:00.003-07:00

From Mililani, Hawaii.... a haiku:

Neighborhood info
Reflects new career, Realtor
Passed down from Mother

anonymous

2008-12-21T07:44:00.003-07:00

This is a photo of one of my last three remaining bookshelves. The others don't have many books on them because I sold them to buy a plane ticket. The case pictured here was purchased from The Blackberry Bookstore as it was going out of business. The top two shelves contain the almost complete set of Time Life's "Great Books of the Western World" series. The only volume missing is the one with writings by Adam Smith, and that is on loan to a friend. The bottom shelf contains some books with which I couldn't part, and is obscured by book-like data storage things and "tools" of various kinds that can be used wisely. Examples include a microscope, floppy disks, a computer tower, a box of cards, and a case of marinade. The volume of Greek plays has wine stained pages.

cuarto de cancer - lynn

2008-12-14T17:01:00.005-07:00

It's bad enough that a cancer diagnosis takes over your life for awhile, it can even take over a bookshelf, which then takes over a room.

Lynn blogs about her Unplanned Adventure with cancer.

gabe

2008-11-09T13:47:00.002-07:00

All made by my (and my wife's) hands...the mirror, slides to hide/expose the TV!

maya

2008-03-30T20:06:00.004-07:00

I am in desperate need of more bookshelf space! This is just a small piece of my bookshelves. Hopefully I will move from my small studio into a house so my books can expand and fill the new space.

If you love Seattle, you will love Maya's photos.
She's also the latest member of the Expose Yourshelf Book Club (see info on right)

nancy

2008-03-19T12:01:00.002-07:00

You be the judge:

BOOKSHELVES?

or

BACKDROP FOR TOYS???

becky and laakea

2008-02-17T09:57:00.005-07:00

Boy meets girl.
They fall in love.
Girl moves in with boy.
Both have too much stuff.
Stuff fills all the shelves.
Stuff fills on top of the shelves.
Need to get rid of stuff?...
Note: Need more shelves!

Becky and Laakea live in Kailua, HI

jana & dustin

2008-02-09T23:02:00.000-07:00

I cannot get all of our shelves in three pics, so I concentrated on the highlights.
This is our breakfast nook that we converted to a reading room. Most of the books in here are classics, sci-fi and fantasy. You can see old family photos in the background.

(left) This shelf is dedicated to more serious non-fiction issues. And Homies.

I thought I'd mix it up and show some of our DVD collection rather than more books. (below)

lucy

2008-02-04T14:11:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite things to do when I'm in someone else's house is look at what's on their bookshelf -- not only does it say a lot about the person, but I'm always discovering new things to read!

Our bookshelf was a Craigslist acquisition that I bought when books were absolutely overflowing out of our old one. I try to purge my collection every few months, but I still end up with more than we can fit! I try to categorize my books along these general lines:

- Sociology/psychology/human interest -- Anatomy of Love, Mutants, Before the Dawn, etc.
- Classic literature
- Arab/Middle East literature and studies
- Cookbooks
- Presidential bios/political bios
- Medieval/Renaissance studies

Unfortunately, some of my books always end up spilling over onto other shelves, and I have one shelf that's pretty much a catch-all. I envy those who have plenty of storage space, but I know that if I had more, I'd just fill those shelves up again and end up with overflow like I do now.

This one is of my husband's sections. He has his own bookshelves in his Mancave, but he wanted some space in the living room bookshelf too:

Lucy has a dog named Mike Jones.
You can see him at Sparkles Anon!.

cindy fey

2008-01-31T20:51:00.001-07:00

This picture is of one of my least messy bookshelves. The one with a few of my favorite books and pictures. The one with the Styron, Kingsolver and Alice Munro clusters. A nice mix of stuff I've barely cracked (Guns, Germs and Steel) and books I've reread and reread (I love Possession's worn binding.)

Thanks for the idea - it's great to revisit the old friends that line my walls.

Cindy writes about life in the past, present, and future at
We All Fall Down.

friar tuck

2008-01-29T21:10:00.002-07:00

These are the bookshelves in my office. I have more at home. I ran out of room in my office for my office books, so I put more out in the hall. I tend to keep them moderately organized, but not completely so. Most of these are theology and ministry related. Home has more of the general stuff, but the limit keeps me from exposing all my shelves.

To see all of Friar Tuck's books, check out his
on-line library listing. It really is amazing!

nicki the cat

2008-01-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

Sadly, we do not have Nicki Jr to be our bookshelf gargoyle any more. We still have the bookshelf, but that particular one has mostly videos on it at the moment. (The bottom shelf is all oversized books right now, though.)
We sell books from our home here, on the internet, and it was kind of a joke that Nicki was one of our assistant managers. She was in charge of complaints, since she was usually complaining about something herself, mainly that we never fed the poor cats....

Nicki Jr's owners sell their books from their online store called Neon Hearts. They have a little bit of everything-check out the "Penny Bin" where all the books are one cent!

one hundred years of trash

2008-01-25T16:08:00.003-07:00

Your very creative project appeals to both the exhibitionist and the voyeur in me. Below is my contribution.

Our living room bookshelf is the go to spot for killing a day, or shutting up one of the many know-it-alls that comes by to test our home's resident Jeopardy champion.

The dining room case houses righteous cookbooks, gardening books, and some of our 100 years of trash.

I tore out the little wall behind the commode in the bathroom, and nailed up some pine from the basement to hold fun books about fun stuff.

See more of their trash at 100 Years of Trash

steph

2008-01-23T20:58:00.002-07:00

Atop my computer desk, this shelf (if you can really call it that) includes many of my oversized books. These generally tend to be art or drawing related and are thus considered to be my coolest books. Please note that they are also color coded.

This “book case” has been around since my elementary days. The top part of my stacked shelving units is home to many fiction and vintage novels, college texts and the lovely teetering pile of children’s books. The nose from a pair of joke glasses and a ceramic cat I made have a permanent residence on the second shelf.

The second half includes the new edition of a cabinet, which I thought would help alleviate the crowding on the 2 original cases. Much like the top half, there are lots of random fiction and vintage books. There is also a rabbit with chemistry goggles on, and my clarinet from 8th grade band.

john & jenny

2008-01-21T21:02:00.002-07:00

Unfortunately I recently packed up almost all of our books and moved them into the garage to make space. Maybe I'll go out there and shoot a couple of pictures. These are pretty neat though.

chris & leann

2008-01-20T19:39:00.002-07:00

Bookshelf 1 is a Mexican hutch handed down from an old boss. It’s nearly impossible to move and sits about where you’d probably want to put the coat rack that partially obscures it in the picture. It’s right by the front door and has a constant flow of new mail. The books are mostly recently acquisitions from the neighborhood used bookstore and Friends of the Library sales. It’s also home to numerous photographs and assorted small junk like the small stuffed deer on the top. The cabinet at the bottom holds an assortment of guitars, a viola, and a trumpet.

Bookshelf 2 was bought very cheap in 1999 from one of Petaluma ’s once-numerous used bookstores. The bookstore has since been replaced by some high-end old-lady home décor shop. Sigh. This shelf is mostly quality paperbacks – lots of fiction, lots of science, and most of our music books. It’s sturdy, fairly lightweight, and nice-looking – I wish I’d bought all three of them. It now resides in our office.

Bookshelf 3 came from the late, lamented Chinook Bookshop in COS . I bought this one and its twin because they were deep enough to serve as LP shelves. This one is somewhat hard to move since its metal frame and the cabinet at the bottom are a single piece. Since we moved to California one has remained in pieces in the mud room and this one has towered over the entryway and the living room, depending on the house. Most of our art and film books, assorted tall paperbacks, and hardbound books are on this shelf. The very tall books and some adults-only books are at the very top. The milk cans at the top were decorations for our wedding reception. The red sliding doors at the bottom were pale blue when I bought the shelves; behind them live magazines and comics. I hope no one is sitting in front of this when The Big One hits.

klayton

2008-01-18T22:01:00.001-07:00

This is where I keep books on Shakespeare, Renaissance studies, alchemy, existentialism, general philosophy, and literary criticism. Also on this bookshelf one will find a diverse collection of tarot cards, an ancient catcher's mitt, miscellaneous DVDs, and WWII-era photos of my grandparents.

Klayton shares his view of the world at NothingBeyond.

noel & marina

2008-01-16T20:57:00.001-07:00

Living room bookshelf 1 and 2 . I bought these bookshelves at some raw furniture place in San Francisco about 10 years ago. It has served as room divider and a way of keeping my book collection limited to two shelves, though the overflow stacks on top attest to the constant struggle. Such is living in a small house.

Bedroom bookshelf:

Kitchen bookshelf:

Noel publishes NEWSPEAK! in Colorado Springs.

Marina has found the keys.

daisy

2008-01-14T22:29:00.001-07:00

This built-in bookshelf was one of the things I really liked about this house when we bought it 4 years ago. The house was built by the family we purchased it from, built in 1959. He built in a lot of custom touches, all out of this same wood laminate. I think other people's bookshelves are always so much more interesting than your own. Honestly, I have read most of the books on it, so I don't go back to it for books too often (other than the art books and phone book). We watch a lot of movies, those are there too. But I think it is more a representation of people that I am connected to rather than ideas. The objects all represent specific people that gave them to me (mostly my rather large family), and most of the books as well have a history that connects them to a person.

This is my prized collection of 1920's children's books, "My Book House" by Olive Beaupre Miller. Great illustrations, received these as a 13th birthday present from my father. Also in this shot, one of my prized beetles and a small sculpture from my sister. The books remind me of my collector dad, who used to say to all of us, right after opening some toy received as a present, "You should keep it in the box, it will be worth a lot someday!!". We never kept anything in the box, no regrets here.

Bookshelf Guardienne. I love this paper mache doll from Mexico, great face! 'Nuf said.

hilary

2008-01-08T21:06:00.001-07:00

highlights include: a collection of colored fairy books, several books on Irish history and folk tales, Irish language, A history of the crusades called Through Arab Eyes, the Hebrew Goddess, selected plays by George Bernard Shaw, Nietzche, Jung, Norton's Anthology, The Druids, Tom Robbins' books....books on sex, dreaming, handicrafts, anatomy, alternative health, botany, ancient mystery cults, and a piece or two by CS Lewis because he has good advice on avoiding temptation ;). All have survived the culls of '04, '07, and previous years and date back to before college. This is one of 8 filled bookshelves in our possession. ;)
Hey, it's better than collecting cardboard boxes....

tech dude

2007-12-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

Here's my "bookshelf" at work. Not much to it, as I have the world's largest library at my finger tips (google). But if you look closely there are a few books on it towards the top.

Check out tech dude's incoherent ramblings at Geek-Think.

brandy

2007-12-01T16:30:00.000-07:00

What can I say,
Books

quiet
self-absorbed
enriching
shared
learning
thoughtful
traveling
idealist

messy
organized
old new
excessive
odd
revealing
hidden
project

others
mine
ours

saelwa

2007-11-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

My Home Office. Aesthetically this is the favorite of my three bookshelves. It's a pretty green color (I painted it), it has that great plant (still living!) on top and is crowned by a photo of my boys at the state fair (we got our bunny that day). But it barely qualifies as a bookshelf anymore. It has been reduced to a utilitarian storage facility (alas! where is the otherworldliness of a real bookshelf?)

My Professional Library. This is the place where my hopes, dreams and ideals lay stored. Nestled in this frigid corner of my house are those books that contain the theories, philosophies and unrealized craft projects that have informed my professional, parental, and artistic development. These are the few items that have survived repeated anti-clutter cullings. Did you notice that this bookshelf is tucked in the corner surrounded by all the shit that life has brought into my life?

Daily Life. Books from friends ("You have to read this one, it so reminds me of you") who are fully aware that I have not read an entire book (that has more than a 9th grade reading level) in more than five years. Cookbooks from the library as I once again psych myself up (in an attempt) to take my rightful place as a domestic goddess. Children's books for when I exercise the one area (only area) of parenting in which I feel confident--reading with my children (shit, I'm a teacher with a theatrical background, I'd better be able to read a story).

You can find out more about saelwa's life at 200 days. Or leave her a comment here.....

the rules

2007-11-24T19:53:00.003-07:00

Rule # 1: You may submit up to 3 photos. Send them to suesun40@gmail.com or give me links to your flickr photos. Try to make them of the largest size and highest resolution possible.... all the better for voyeuring in. However, any photo will do!

Rule #2: I will publish what you send me as is. I will neither censor nor judge nor crop.

Rule #3: Please do not rearrange or organize or dust or manipulate your bookshelf in any way immediately before its photo-op.

Rule #4: I trust that you will follow Rule #3, because to doubt you would be foolish and completely unprovable.

Rule #5: I will publish photos anonymously, or with your name as the title, and/or with a link to your blog/website. The choice is yours-be sure to let me know your desire. You may be as transparent or as obscure as you wish.

Rule #6: Optional: Write some sort of explanation or description or history of your books/bookshelf, in prose or in poetry, and I will publish it along with your photo(s).

Rule #7: I can change the rules at any time.