You fellow decorator's have to take a look at this link on "Anabel's House." I bought it about 25 or so years ago and it's still in mint condition, waiting to give it to my granddaughter when she's old enough not to tear it.

It's a pop-up book, and it has great decorations. And paper dolls!

That's how much I love books and decorating, especially since I bought it for myself, not having any girls!

Here is a link that might be useful: Anabel's House

When I was growing up, if I wanted to buy a book, the answer was always yes.

My favorite housewarming gift (for those I am close to) is a nice atlas and the OED (the single volume one with the magnifier, not the 27 vols or whatever). To me, they are the foundation of making a home. I don't know if the recipients always agree but I'm happy with myself ! ; )

I've read 90% of the books in our house but bought a few just because of the look. However, I usually make a point to only buy books I'm interested in the subject. I don't care for fiction but I'm not talking about children books.

I do like to read but you won't catch me flying through a few books a week anymore. I don't make the time.

Large built ins would be a tough one for me. I wouldn't spend the money on the books (Are they even books or just covers? Didn't look close enough.) from that site but I would be keeping my eye out to add some old leather books to help add to the space. It would bug me to look empty. Just this past week I found a beautiful German Bible from the 1800s. I'd really like to go back and get it.

I do think books can really make a place look homey but I honestly don't care if the person reads them all or if they're strickly decorative.

I don't object to decorating with books...but the books by the yard thing DOES bother me. Which is ridiculous. I just gave my mom 10 early 20th century Gene Stratton Porter books...some of which were first editions...that I found on ebay. They were "readers copies". I was replacing books she'd read as a girl that were her mother's. They got "lost in the flood". Covers are stunning.

I, too, have a "book problem." I've given books away--only to buy them again. I tend to re-read old favorites. And I have certain contemporary authors I collect--I like to get first editions. Which I read. Even though I "shouldn't." I really need to organize my library again...

As to the modern beautiful bindings books---I've got quite a few of those. I bought them because they reminded me of the books my grandmother had "before the flood". I wish more books were bound that way!

Beckysharp - I must ask if you still have an aversion to dictionaries. Remember the one you flung from your carriage? You didn't handle that one too gently.

Oakley - that book is really darling! I used to spot pretty dresses while shopping and I would run after my sons yelling "Who want to be my little girl?". They were mortified.

Oooh bumble - I would like to see that tree. I have a book page wreath - or maybe it is sheet music (it's not up right now).

tina

LOL at maureeninmd.

oakleyok--you need to get that granddaughter of yours a copy of Randall Jarrell's The Animal Family. I think it's one of the most lyrical, moving books about love and family I've ever read. (You should read it first.) And it looks like it's back in print!

Here is a link that might be useful: The Animal Family

Tina, check out everything on this page below.
Magazine, seashell, book, Christmas trees...
very creative stuff.

Here is a link that might be useful: look carefully!

Books contain information to be read, or saved for when you need that information, as in a dictionary. Books also tell stories and preserve history as in Wuthering Heights and any of many biographies. Book shelves are a place to keep these books so you can access the information or re read a story, or lend it to someone else.

Buying books to fill a shelf when you haven't read them and get any information you need from TV or the internet, is a little like having a house with 4 bathrooms for show, while you continue to use the little shed out back
Just sayin'......

Oakley- I'm the book worm who gave up her hair dryer and her microwave, because books meant more : )

the first thing DH and I bought for our new house was a book case - 96 linear feet of shelf space, totally dominates the long wall of the living room.

we did eventually add a TV, but I loved those first few years, watching people come in to our home, and try and figure out what was 'off' about the place ;)

Bumblebeez -- thanks for the link! OMG i feel a glue gun attack coming on! So many things I love!

Which one? Is it the one on the mantel (on the cake dish looking thingy - pedestal?)???

LOL Some of those pics are from blogs I read!

"People decorate with all sorts of things they don't use- china, dolls, fishing reels, etc."
Very true.

I'll never own a Kindle. Not to sound like a grouch but I dislike the amount of electronic "stuff" now days.

Before I received my kindle as a gift, I also said I would never, ever own one. Too much electronics, and I valued holding a beautiful book. I probably seemed unappreciative when I opened the gift. But I was soon hooked. It is great for traveling, and I can plug an adaptor into the car and have it read to me while I'm driving. If it's a book I want to keep, then I buy it. It's also so easy to download a new book if I need something else to read. I think I will always have one now.

Tina, second row, fourth one over.

Shee, we are in the dark ages here - I still use cd's to listen to music. And I have VCR in my studio for all those video tapes I so frugally acquired.
I have a san disk in the drawer upstairs but it's daunting time wise to transfer all my cds to the computer that it hasn't happened yet. And the buttons are so tiny.

Buying books to fill a shelf when you haven't read them and don't plan to is like having a collection of teapots when you don't drink tea. Or an adult having a collection of dolls. You own them for the sake of owning them.

Gray, I have to disagree about not reading your books vs. teapots for display and not drinking hot tea! lol.

Books aren't made to put on a shelf and admire from afar. Teapots are. I have a small teapot collection, but all of them were given to me as gifts or I inherited them. I can stare at some of them all day long. It's the beauty of the artists work I admire. I guess kind of like a painting!

On a side note. I wonder if the volume of newly printed books have gone way down since Ereaders have appeared? I also wonder if the Ereaders make a difference in what the author would normally get paid for a hard copy?

Is decorating with books really any different than decorating with "aged Tuscan artifacts" (or anything that is faux distressed/aged) that's actually manufactured in China? Is it the lack of authenticity that is so galling?

Maureen, that would be the other Becky : ) . Dictionaries are well represented on the many shelves here, with Dr. Johnson's volume held in particular high esteem. And aside from no spine cracking, there is no book flinging here either. Well, perhaps occasionally from across the room (for those more maddening authors) but never from the carriage...

Becky

I wonder if the volume of newly printed books have gone way down since Ereaders have appeared? I also wonder if the Ereaders make a difference in what the author would normally get paid for a hard copy?

Yes, and yes. The biggest difference for most authors, though, is that it's much easier to steal an ebook and people will do that who would never shoplift in a bookstore.

I'm an author and last fall after my last book appeared I found one torrent that had already had over 12,000 illegal downloads in the first three weeks after the book appeared. Nobody who had anything to do with creating the book made diddly from those copies.

Writersblock: I want you to know that I have NEVER, nor would I ever, download an illegal copy of a book. I pay for them, or get them from the free downloads on Amazon. I've been offered them from other Kindle users many times, and I always decline. The one thing I like about the kindle is the adjustable font size. As I get older, reading small print isn't as easy as it used to be. I love that I can increase the font size when needed.

It doesn't bother me at all that people buy books to decorate with. Even though the vast proportion of the books we own are here because we are (or were) interested in the subjects and wanted to read the books, I confess to having bought books simply because I thought they were attractive. And why not? Book binding is a whole art in and of itself (I think), and beautifully bound or covered books were meant to be displayed -- in the beginning, to impress others with the wealth of their owners (think about the gold and jewel-encrusted books of the Middle Ages and Renaissance). There are still people who want libraries to impress others, but I think there are also people who collect books because they are beautiful to look at. I agree with mjsee about wanting to pick the titles myself, but as I said, I do have books because they look interesting. There's a brown velvet-covered book on bridge (I don't play bridge); a book with a cover meant to look like wood grain and what it's about....I couldn't tell you; I have Folio Society books, and every one of them has a beautiful cover and/or binding intended to complement and enhance the book (one of the prettiest is bound in fuschia silk); I also have several issues of the French art review, Verve; old leather-bound books; some Dashiell Hammetts with really cool paper covers...and more. If I didn't have so many books already (and if I weren't already collecting other things), I could easily see myself collecting books for their aesthetic appeal.

The printers and delivery system are hurt most of all by the ebooks, however the environment thanks its lucky stars.

I love to read and have been an avid reader since way early. I used to walk down the street while reading, lol...

I got out of the habit after having babies and no free time. Tivo made a dent in my reading as well. I do read Time and Newsweek each week, but am often a little behind. Of course, I read a ton on the internet as I suspect many here do....

When renovating our house, I rediscovered books on tape (actually downloaded from library to my ipod) which are fantastic when painting or my hands are otherwise occupied. I listen when cooking, driving, grocery shopping, etc... It has made gardening more palatable. I have caught up with many favorite authors(such as Grisham & Nicholas Sparks) and listened to many biographies or autobiographies. I finished Howie Mandel's today and was snorting in laughter many times out loud(I dare you not to...). Keith Richards' and Barbara Walters' autobiographies were also quite fascinating. I just hope someday our library gets James Clavell's books in its audio collection. I still view it as reading of a sort...

I used to buy books, but admit it was mostly in the bargain bins and when I went to the mall more often. Online shopping has cut into hitting the mall by a lot.
I was supporting myself at an early age so could not afford a car for a while. That made going to the library a problem geographically... I'd buy books for cheap and not worry about returning them. I also used to buy cookbooks, but now search recipes online too. I keep very few books other than cookbooks and pass along fiction. I go to the library regularly for our sons, but since listening to books the past year, do not check out many for myself. I am more likely to borrow a dvd from the library than a book if you don't count downloading audio from the website.

I can't imagine buying books for decor. In fact, paring down used to be a constant struggle because I read so much and they took up space. I do buy books as gifts for younger people (what kid does not love Calvin and Hobbes?) but not at every occasion, but no longer buy books for myself since I can borrow any I want from the library. I feel like we have enough "stuff" and don't need to add too many books to that list. I still probably read more than most people between the magazines cover to cover and the internet and listen to books when not physically reading. I would only consider a book if it were a coffee table book about something that had a lot of pictures. Otherwise, books are meant to be read and shared. A few reference books, such as cookbooks or how to-s are all I need to keep. I certainly would not display them as art. I am also not a huge fan of knick knacks as I am in a constant battle with functional clutter...

I find it tacky as well as looking too contrived in a room setting~~same for the all-white covered 'set'. If books are used as part of decorating, why do they have to look like a dyed-to-match skirt and sweater set? What's wrong with old original covers on old original books? I don't understand the thought process of using books that are 'dolled up' to add decorating flair.

I love using old books, but as they are..old and worn. ;o)

Those of you that don't like books for decoration does that mean you don't ever use them as riser for decor? Even ones I read are used as risers at times. I was just wondering. I wouldn't stack them on the floor and use as a side table though. #1. I'd probably always want the book that wasn't on top and #2. I'd always be explaining to my guests what was up. :)

I am frequently surprised when I can buy a used book cheaper on Amazon than I can pay to download it on my Kindle.

Just some food for thought here.

When my daughter was in high school, she went to a community leadership forum for best and brightest kids from all over the city to help them understand each other's background, challenges, and reasons for success.

One of the exercises done was to demonstrate how different environments, over which the kids have zero control, add advantages or disadvantages to their lives and opportunities.

They all stood in a line together, and then took a step forward for an advantage, and a step back for a disadvantage. (take a step forward if you have a parent who attended college, etc.)

One of the statements was "there are more than 40 books in my house".

This exercise had a profound and permanent effect on my daughter, who until this time had never realized how many challenges others may have to overcome to be successful, and how advantaged she truly was.

Books are power.

Julie, they are only power if someone reads them.

When we were going to build I had in the floor plan for a sunroom with a wall of books- somewhat inspired by the movie Beauty and the beast. Sigh...I love the look. I am not doing it to the home we are renovating, however. Simple clean lines, clutter will happen without decorative effort!

I do think reading is changing. I used to read a book every 2-3 months - I never seemed to get to the library bc of work, kids, etc.. (I was an English major and really do love to read.) DH bought me a Kindle for Christmas and I am reading voraciously now. A least a book a week because accessing the books is so convenient. Last night I got the hankering for some Jane Austen and 2 min later I was able to curl up with Pride and Prejudice. It was lovely.

I am also one that does not love having lots of books around - at home, I really enjoy emptiness and open space. People may assume I don't read since I don't have a lot of books around - and maybe they assume I don't eat since I don't collect china!

This may look unkempt to some, but to me it's just wonderful. The books are decorative - but they're haphazardly placed on the shelves and just look as though they've provided their owner with hours of enjoyment. I love this.

Yes, Auntjen! I agree!!!

Books that are visually interesting because they are clearly used. I think that looks one hundred times better than that wall of books behind the sofa arranged by color. Especially because those colors were so unusual and so strong, that you knew the books had to have been not just arranged by color, but chosen FOR their color. That's silly imho.

A room should make you interested in the person who created it.

Linda C. that's exactly what I meant
well said

Yes, auntjen, those shelves are perfect, precisely because they look genuine, loved, well read. Those other display books are so artificial, so contrived. With all the stuff available these days, do we really have to buy fake books to decorate with? Who are we trying to fake out with fake books?

I don't live on a magazine page. I live in a real home.

Jen, your's is very similar to mine. A bit messy which translates into "well used."

Below is a picture of my booknook and the entryway. Our other bookcases are in the back of the house, so these are just a handful.

I do have to pat myself on the back though which is a rare event for me. lol. I designed the booknook and entryway myself. The idea wasn't even there, we just knew we wanted some built-in bookshelves, and this way, we added more space to the room instead of taking up valuable wall space. When I came up with this idea, both my dh and builder loved it!

Also, I am SO happy that paperbacks are high quality now. They're larger, glossier, and the print is bigger. They actually look nice in the "good" bookcase.

I would love to see other's pictures and even those that decorate with books. I could get some good ideas!

My younger son and I were discussing the "real" books vs "e reader" thing just the other day. He's 23 and has grown up surrounded by electronica...but prefers real books. He says flicking the screen just isn't as satisfying as turning a page. Plus--he likes the heft/smell/SOUND books make. He also has the bibliophile's need to OWN the thing--not just license it.

We both agree that e-readers are better for travel, though. Still haven't decided which one I'm buying...

Interesting point about "more than 40 books in the house". My kids probably had more than 40 books in there ROOMS. (Assuming picture books count.) I think we own almost all of Bill Peet...there's at least 30 of those on the shelf. Not including his autobiography. I hang on to my kids books. So many go out of print---Daniel Pinkwater's Wuggie Norple, for instance. Or Marjorie Flack's Walter the Lazy Mouse. So sad...

Maybe THOSE will come back via e-reader!

Love the "READ" pic katy B!

Timely subject, we just bought 60 books at an estate sale today. We might flip through some of them, but we won't read them I don't think. I love them though because they are old and have beautiful bindings and we've been having fun slowly collecting enough books to fill our 2 story library.

I would never do books by the foot because I think books have to have some meaning to you. I don't think that meaning necessarily has to come from having read them. I think if you love collecting them and love the beautiful covers, then I think that's reason enough to have them in your home.

Besides, I don't think I could fill my beauty-and-the-beast library ladder conservatory bookcases w/ books I have read since I am all-Kindle today. I LOVE my kindle. I will never go back to not having an e-reader.

Decorating with books you have read---as in, leaving them on the shelves? Okay!

Decorating with books INSTEAD of reading them-----NOT okay!

I don't think that makes me a book snob.....and anyway, the shelves of dog eared paperbacks would belie that notion. :)

what are the books that empower you ? for me, books are entertainment,
novels and biographies are just that, imo. Unless it's a biography of someone who has accomplished something special that might inspire me.

watching a tv show about someone inspiring, as empowering to me as reading about it.

most useful book I've ever read : the Four Agreements, I still refer to it.
Simple and basic. Out of all the self help, motivational books I've read, it's the only one that says it all within the confines of a very small book.

I've read hundreds of novels, yet I wouldn't want to line my shelves with them
or want to be judged on who I am because of them. They mean nothing to me but the fleeting escape I got from immersing myself in them.

I do buy books as souvenirs/mementos, I am not a knick knack person at all.
Frank Loyd Wright when I stayed at the Biltmore hotel, JP Gaultier book when I saw and loved his exhibit at the museum recently, San Fran Homes book when I did a tour of famous homes in that city, book on Tuscan Homes right after my first stay in Tuscany. Books are easy to stash in a suitcase, do not need to be bubble wrapped.

oakley, your book nook is a genius idea, very original.

Oakleyok - I love your book nook!

I do buy old books for decorative purposes BUT and this is a huge but - ONLY if I think that I will or would love to read them at some point in time.

I guess I equate it w/ inheriting DH's grandfather's old hardback gardening books and historical places books. Bags and bags of them w/ beautiful covers. I doubt that I'll ever read all of them and I have an interest in all of them, but I can't wait to have more shelves to put them out.

I, too, love the book nook.

Love that book nook! Wish I had room to create one :) So fun!
I will admit that I've been guilty of buying "trophy books" - can't resist the new set from Anthropologie - classic books with cute covers! (pictured below).

[traditional books design[(https://www.houzz.com/products/traditional-books-prbr1-br~t_519~s_2107) by Anthropologie

And I love this for fun - in my next home I'll do something like this:

[eclectic living room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2104) by dc metro interior designer Nicole Lanteri

or at least this:

[spaces design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/home-design-ideas-phbr0-bp~) by media and blogs Chez Larsson

Here's a fun site for you book lovers!

Here is a link that might be useful: Bookshelf Porn.com

Thanks for the compliments!

Oh.my.gosh. Looking at the book site now makes me wish I had added a bench seat to the book nook! lol

I'm going to drool over that website. Thanks!

Great book nook, Oakly!
I have thousands of books but only because I like to reread. However, like Mitch, I don't want to be identified by those books, they are largely escapist entertainment.

One of the most voracious readers I know has very few books. She doesn't reread and passes on most books.

I keep most of my books in my studio but there are boxes and boxes in the basement. The same friend helped me clean out my basement once, had me throw out tons of hardback books...she convinced me books aren't any more sacred than any other piece of old junk. She's a librarian.

If I decorated with books because they were a great accessory, that's fine but to decorate with certain titles to appear well read or smart, that's pretentious.

BTW, the above site (bookshelfporn) doesn't look like much, but if you click on the archive button, there are tons of photos! I get a kick out of the name!

Here is a link that might be useful: Bookshelf Porn.com's archive page

hoosiergirl--GREAT. Another blog to keep up with. ;^)

Thank you, Hoosiergirl! I learned long ago, that books will " make any room appealing to me, but they do need to promise the many worlds of enjoyment "real" books offer.