Long before radios and televisions entered the American home, most houses were filled with books, often stacked floor-to-ceiling on bookcases in reading rooms. And although Americans now read fewer books than they once did, there are still millions of people who cherish books as sources of entertainment and as beautiful objects to own. If you've always considered yourself a bibliophile, you might consider building your collection of books and organizing them into a showpiece home library.
Nancy Bass is the owner of New York City's world famous Strand Bookstore. Founded 75 years ago by Bass' grandfather, the family business is known for it's large collection of used books, including rare and out-of-print volumes. Bass has designed libraries for homes, hotels, stores and even movie sets, and offers advice for starting your own library of books at home:
- The love of books. Bass thinks it's important to have books in a home because they add warmth, depth and soul, and they make our lives better. She likes to set up a home library in the room that she spends the most time in and loves the most.
- Books of all kinds. A library should contain books of all kinds, from reference books and cookbooks to literary classics and popular novels. You don't necessarily have to organize them by author, genre or title. It's just nice to have shelves full of different books to look through and to keep buying books that interest you.
- Books as design. Books are also just wonderful objects to use when decorating. Old hardcover books can add class to a room, and great bindings or dust jackets can add color or even match your design scheme or furniture choices.
- Shop smart. You don't have to spend a lot of money to start a home library. You can shop smart, and you can start small. Try scouring used books stores, library sales and flea markets. Start with what you love, whether it be a book that would look great on your shelf, or something you can't wait to read.
For more information about buying and collecting books, check out the following organizations or websites:
The Strand Bookstore
www.strandbooks.com/index.php
The International Book Collectors Association
www.rarebooks.org/default.htm
Used Book Central
www.usedbookcentral.com
Bibliomania
bibliomania.net
Book Information Website
www.xs4all.nl/~knops/index3.html
Book Sales in America
www.book-sales-in-america.com/index.html
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