Wow, how ambitious of you...but it sounds like a good idea. I probably have a similar amount.

I think marking the value is probably a good idea, what about copyright date?

I've tried to do this a couple of times before but I just couldn't keep it up. I go through books so quickly, and I'm constantly buying new ones and weeding out older ones. It just turned out to be too much work. But good luck with your project.

Netla, I've been thinking about doing the very same thing, particularly for insurance purposes. I know it sounds odd, but I do worry about my books over almost anything else, not just because of the investment I've made in them but because they really are dear to me. For example, about 1:00 this morning, we had a storm move through, and lightning struck very close to our house and knocked out our electricity. We live in the country, right on top of a hill, so my first thought was that the house was hit. That's when I started worrying about fire and calculating how much time I would have to save jewelry, photos, music books, and cds after I packed out all my books. I'm very attached to my books. Can you tell?

Netla, I don't know how well it works for books in Icelandic, but the free site Bibliophil works nicely to inventory books. One only needs to input the ISBN and it grabs the rest of the publishing data. Your database can be exported into Excel. I've run into a few minor glitches, but overall it is very easy. In addition I've found that if I ask for the books of those with similar tastes, it isn't unusual to find unflagged books in common that I can then add to my library with a mere click instead of having to enter a long ISBN.

Several of the regulars here have their libraries on it.

Question: When does a collection of books become a library?
I must say I have never considered recording all the books we have, either for insurance purposes or just for the fun of it.
I really don't think we own any works that might be valuable and I'm pretty sure UK insurance firms don't take sentimental value into account.
Perhaps when I win the lottery I can have a temperature-controlled room dedicated just to books (a true library?) with lots of shelving and one of those special ladders for reaching the high ones and maybe a gallery for the costly editions . . . and a full-time librarian to keep the catalogue in order and deal with the inquires from international scholars and to turn the pages, one day at a time, of the most priceless of the manuscripts which will be displayed in a glass case.
But maybe not. I would miss my untidy shelves and piles dotted about the house. They are in no particular order, not even colour/height coded; still I can usually put my hand on the volume I want. ;-)

I don't own books of any value, either, but you can do a lot of useful things with your data if you've got it cataloged somewhere. I've been slowly entering mine at LibraryThing just so I can get myself organized and decide what to keep and what to cull. I used to record them in a database years ago, but the application I used no longer exists and the data got lost amongst the computer upgrades. It's nice to know that now I can have it backed up somewhere if I loose it. There also seems to be a boom in social network sites and most offer cataloging capabilities of one sort or another. You can also catalog books, magazines, articles, etc., at Worldcat. I've decided it is too tedious to catalog my journals at LibraryThing (would have to add them manually), but at Worldcat it seems like it would be fairly easy to grab the exact issue and add it to your list.

perfect-another excuse to put off spring cleaning and spring weeding.

When we moved a few years ago my husband (not a reader) said, "Are we taking all the books?" DUH! "Of course." I said. "ALL the books?" he asked. "ALL the books." I replied. He rolled his eyes back and started packing them.

Get rid of books? was he crazy?

Veer- "But maybe not. I would miss my untidy shelves and piles dotted about the house. They are in no particular order, not even colour/height coded; still I can usually put my hand on the volume I want. ;-)"

Every once in awhile I try to put my books in some kind of order but it doesn't last long. Mine are like yours, piles here and there, but I can always find what I'm looking for.

Vee, have you ever been to Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath? The library is huge, oval in shape, painted light blue with cream and gold leaf trim, and housing an enormous amount of books. The woman in the gift shop told us that an Arabian sheik had it duplicated to the inch in one of his palaces. They even closed the house so that his minions could measure and photograph for their requirements.

I figure my mansion in Heaven will look just like it.

And, no, I haven't ever listed my books. I did count them once in reply to a question here at RP, and I have told my daughter not to dispose of them in a yard sale after I'm gone because, just due to my advanced age, some of them may be worth something.

It's in the will-after DD and DS choose what they want, the rest go to the library to do with what they deem best-if it is selling them off for operating funds, that's fine-at least they'll know values and they'll get the best deal.
But the lawyer did murble something about inventories-so I have begun.

I have listed the rare books that I have in our household inventory (contained in a fireproof safe with our other papers). I have earmarked a few books for certain people when I die, but otherwise I am inviting friends and family to come and pick them over, then donating the rest to the library (with all of my kid books to my department) I do not have the time, energy or inclination to list all that I have, Id rather spend the time reading!

Carolyn, I have never been to Kenwood House but have included some pictures at the site below . . . home from home really.
I wonder if the rich Arab filled his library with similar books?
The few really old libraries I have visited/used can be rather deceptive in that the leather-bound volumes look wonderful but on closer inspection are bound collections of very boring sermons preached in 1724 by the Rev Abstemious Palfrey and lovingly dusted for 39 years by Lavinia, his spinster sister.
In the most unlikely event of me ever arriving in Heaven (and assuming there is one) may I please move in next door to you Carolyn?
Perhaps we could have a Readers Paradise Street/Road/Terrace/Avenue and could float in and out between one another's homes swapping books?

Here is a link that might be useful: Kenwood House

I have cataloged my books in LibraryThing, and just keep entering them as I acquire new ones. Once you're over the initial hump, its very easy to keep up. Because I'm writing a dissertation, I find its very helpful to have cataloged my books when I'm looking for a particular item or concept. It's also pleasant to run thru the cover lineup on as displayed on LibraryThing, as well as see who else has the same (bizarre, in some cases) taste in books.

Vee, thank you for posting those beautiful pictures. The day we went to Hampstead was one of my favorite London outings. We walked along some of the small streets, walked on the Heath, toured Kenwood House, and went out the opposite side and had lunch at the Spaniard's Inn. It was a lovely day.

"Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?" Robert Browning. I've told my husband to look for me in Heaven sitting on my mother's front porch shelling peas and talking, but certainly, all RPers are welcome to come by my place to chat and READ.

I joined www.librarything.com and update my inventory of books at that site. It's free until you reach 200 titles. So, you can try it out before paying a one-time fee.

My profile: http://www.librarything.com/profile/bookmarks

Of course, you run the risk that they could go out of business. So, you might want to download your list once in a while.

Carolyn, that amiable liberal clergyman Rev Sydney Smith, said that his idea of Heaven was eating foie grass to the sound of trumpets. I suppose for you it would be chocolate. Shelling peas sounds good, and because the pods are in a celestial state there will be none of those nasty little maggots therein. It was aways a childhood fear that my pods would contain something unpleasant.

I keep my list of books on Bibliophil and it's been a great resource. However, I've only listed the books I've read and not what's in the ever-expanding TBR pile. One feature that I like in particular is the ability to mark whether or not the book is owned or was borrowed. I also like their "similar reader" feature. I've found some very interesting books there.

...bound collections of very boring sermons preached in 1724 by the Rev Abstemious Palfrey and lovingly dusted for 39 years by Lavinia, his spinster sister. Vee, you are a riot! That was my laugh for this dreary Monday morning, thank you!

I admire those of you who keep such lists, but I do not plan on emulating you. I can envision myself creating a reasonably accurate list, but I know myself too well to imagine that it would ever be kept up to date.

Rosefolly

Years ago I found a cool program that's a library database. The best part is when you pair it with a free or cheap scanner that scans the ISBN barcode!

My total is up around 600, but as others have said I've lost track, in my case mostly due to using Bookmooch to weed out and replenish.

Alas, my list is in my head and is probably going to stay there. When it comes to books, my memory is like an elephant's. (Of course I can't remember what I had for lunch.)

My DH is carefully and subtly urging me to divest myself of my books, as it would benefit us to travel a bit lighter in the coming days, but I don't think I can do it. I'm still suffering from the last time (20 years ago) I pared down my bookshelves and gave away a couple of irreplaceable volumes.

I have my books listed on LibraryThing. Luckily I have just under 200 books now, after gradually getting rid of quite a few of them over the years.

Since I've used only audiobooks for many years, it's a luxury for me to have any print books, but I hang onto them because I've made notes in many of them.

I haven't kept a list of all the books I own because (a) it would be scary to see how many I own and haven't read yet (and I still go to the library all the same!) and (b) I think it would be a guilt-inducing exercise to do this so I choose to live in ignorance.

Has anyone figured out the reason why, when I have two bookcases full of books I haven't read yet, I still continue to go to the library two or three times a week?

It's a sickness, I tell you. A sickness.

No, I've not wanted to take the time. (I'd rather be reading! ;-)). I know I should at least list the more valuable antiquarian books. Lemonhead, I have the same "sickness" as you, LOL. I'm constantly checking our local libraries, while books unread sit on my TBR pile!

I did catalogue my books - mainly because I wanted to sell several on Amazon - and had quite a worthwhile response - however in the current economical situation I doubt that I'll sell many more - I decided to give anything worth less that £8 to chariy shops and keep the rest on the for sale list.
There are many that I want to see gone! Teacher's overload!
Apart from a few 'classics' the only fiction I know I'm keeping at the moment Tartt's 'Secret History, 3 Ernest Raymond books, the Ripley collection - currently I'm weeding my plot.

No but I do try to keep track of my first editions for insurance purposes.

Not really, but I have a bookshelf that I can look at whenever I don't remember

It is a really good idea, if your books are dear to you to do this or something like it! I had a collection of books,which meant the world to me, of about 2500 books. Last May i was hospitalized, and found out what was making me sick was the worst kind of Toxic Black Mold Statcybotrys atra. I was then told i couldnt keep anything , ANYTHING, porous . My heart was broken. I have been trying to compile a list of books that i have read, but, it is hard to remember every one of them. So letting go has been a big theme this year. So from one book lover to another, definetly keep a list of some kind, and insurance, what a great idea! I did have some valuable books, first editons, like Jack London, and other's,but you cant controll things like.... mold! So i wish i had though of such a great idea before!

I just ran across this old thread this morning. A hundred miles north of us there is a massive evacuation in advance of the Kincaid fire. I've been thinking of friends whose lives are being disrupted and, while I hope not, potentially worse. One dear friend is not only a gardener and plant collector to a level far beyond me, but also a great lover of books. If the fire gets as far as his house (insert superstitious knocking on wood) that would be a lifetime collection destroyed.

I love my books, and I treat them well, but they really are ephemeral. I need to remind myself of that from time to time.

What a walk down memory lane of the names of posters whom we no longer hear from and several that have stayed through the years. The Kenwood House url no longer worked for me, but I still have both the picture of it in my head and a postcard just in case.

I still don't have a list of my books, but they have continued multiplying.

It took me a few minutes to realise this was an old thread! I wondered why there were so many "new" posters...

I don't have to make lists as all my books are in two bookcases in my main room.

Sadly I have had to dump books as I moved around. I once had an almost complete collection of Georgette Heyer books, even some of the very early ones, now OOP.

I will echo Carolyn, what a lovely walk down memory lane to see the names of RP contributors past! Looking back at my own post, Bibliophil is long gone, but I've kept a notebook of all the books I've read since 2002.

My home library is a mix of TBR and keepers, and it all ebbs and flows too much to keep a record. I do, however, have a very expensive set of genealogy reference books, so it might be a good idea to let the kiddos know those shouldn't go into the "donate" pile once I'm gone.

I don't even keep a list of all the relatives I own......and fairly frequently lose sight of my glasses :0))

I tried creating a database of all my books about 25 years ago, but it was a daunting task even then, and I gave up, since the books were spread among multiple rooms and carting them back & forth for data entry was a pain. About 5 years later, I started keeping a book log, so at least I have a list of what I've gathered since then, which has added about 1000 books to the stacks. Maybe someday I'll try again, using my log as a starting point. It would be easier today, now that we have laptops to carry to the bookcase locations, rather than carrying the books to the computer.

I have been rather remiss in updating the database lately, due to a home improvement project that's taking longer than planned. However, as I plan to do a heavy cull of my library once I'm done painting and organising my office and bedroom, I think I might overhaul the database once I start re-shelving my books.

I don't. It might be handy but I'd miss the "I forgot I had this" or the "where did this come from?" discoveries.

Netla, those sound like interesting projects, both the home improvement and the re-ordering of the books.

Rosefolly, both were long overdue. Despite the database, I lost all oversight of what books I own and found some I would have sworn I had never seen before when I emptied the bookcases.

The home improvement was a matter of getting things the way I want them - it was about time after 18 years in the place. What I did was tear down a grotty built-in closet that formed the wall between the two bedrooms and put up a regular wall instead. I now have built-in bookcases on the office side that are going to look great when I can get to them to put the books in order, but right now, everything that was in both rooms is now in the office (including my bed) and I'm getting ready to paint the bedroom.

I'm not a list person and anyway have far too many books dotted about the house, in every room except the bathroom and kitchen. When we first moved in here in 1980 one of the rooms was known as the library. It had a round table with three books sitting on it. We had book shelves built either side of a large Victorian fireplace, six shelves in each over nine feet high . . . the ceiling is almost 10 ft. There are also book cases/shelves in the bedrooms, dining room, study.

As we must downsize before we get much older and creaky I will be loath to part with the books but needs must. I notice our local library is offering to take good quality books but no-one wants paperback anymore. Even charity shops have more than they can cope with.

Vee, I laughed out loud at the idea of a library with three books on a table. I'm ahead of you in that I have cookbooks in the kitchen. None in the bathrooms though.

My husband kept Reader's Digests in the bathroom. Some people take their time on the lavatory apparently!

I recall seeing a classic Russian play performed at school where the library had six or so books and that was referred to in the text, so it wasn't a scarcity of props! Anyone know it?

Carolyn, we have a large cupboard off the kitchen which we laughingly refer to as 'The Butler's Pantry' where we store the cookery books and overflow of kitchen gadgets (DH can't resist the purchase of huge roasting tins, odd-shaped 'bake ware' and adding to our rather miss matched crockery, where it all sits gathering dust!)

I've written here before of my large collection of books in my small apartment: bookshelves in every corner, some mounted on walls. Cookbooks are on a special shelf in the kitchen and a shelf on top of the refrigerator. No books yet in the bathroom, just magazines.

I had far more books in the past than now. I'm down to about 200 of them, and I sometimes wonder why I keep them--dogeared as many of them are. Pages are crumbling and falling out of some. Some pages are missing in some as well. I keep them around because they're comforting. I glance into them at times. Many have my marginal notes from student days. Who would want such overused books with my scribblings in them? So there they are, the chief dust-catchers around here, while I let the dust gather and do 99% of my reading by listening to audiobooks and have been doing that since 1983. I've listed my books on LibraryThing (the books I own) but haven't updated that in a while. Also there are my translations (half a shelf) as well as books by friends and relatives. My translations, though published, are not runaway best-sellers because they're on topics that are fairly specialized (successive approximation in math, problem-solving in schoolchildren, the child's concept of number). Not real page-turners.

This was a nice trip down memory lane, seeing all the posts from current and former RPers. I don’t have an inventory of my books either but I know pretty much what I have, both nonfiction and fiction. I know it’s a good idea but knowing myself, I probably will never get around to doing it.

Like Rouan, I also have a pretty good idea of what I own, fiction and nonfiction. I tend to review and weed my collection on a regular basis. Perhaps that is what keeps it fresh in my mind. Although it is not unknown for me to think I still possess a book I have discarded. Usually I have no regrets on that score.