Organizing your bookshelves:

[Martin]

The topic of how we organize our bookshelves comes up in different threads often. I am in the process of replacing and adding bookshelves. As I do this I am also trying to find better and more simple ways to organize my books. I am interested in how people here organize their shelves.

Here is my current plan:
Stephen King (Trade editions) - Publish date
Stephen King (Dark Tower Trade editions) – Publish date
Stephen King (Books about) - Publish date
Stephen King (Books featuring) - Publish date
Stephen King Limited editions - Series, Publish date
Joe Hill (Trade Editions) - Publish date
Joe Hill (Limited Editions) - Publish date
Joe Hill (ARCS) –Publish date
Joe Hill (Hardbound Comics) – Series, Publish date
Joe Hill (Comics) - Series, Publish date
Brian James Freeman - Publish date
Richard Chizmar - Publish date
Peter Straub - Publish date
Kealan Patrick Burke - Publish date
Rick Hautala - Publish Date
John Grisham - Publish date
Stewart O’Nan – Publish Date (Trade only, Limited with Publisher)
Cemetery Dance – Author, Publish date
Cemetery Dance Signature Series – Publish date
Cemetery Dance Lettered Editions – Publish date
Lonely Road Books – Publish Date, Author
Suntup Press (Limited Editions) – Publish date, Author
Suntup Press (Artist Editions) – Publish date, Author
Miscellaneous Small Press - Publish date, Author
Old World Style - Publisher, Publish date
Non-Fiction - Theme, Author, Publish date
Sports - Sport, Author, Publish date
Paperbacks – Author, Publish date
Chapbooks –Publish Date
Audio Books (CD’s) – Author, Publish date
Borderlands Little Books – Publish date
TBR – Received date
ARCS – Not currently displayed

[Sock Monkey]

Interesting topic! You have clearly put more thought into your shelf organization than I have.

Bookcase #1: Centipede Press by trim size, then grouped by series or author
Bookcase #2: Cemetery Dance by trim size, then grouped by series or author
Bookcase #3:
Thunderstorm Elemental Series by Publish Date, and misc. titles from various authors
Earthling Publications grouped by series (Halloween and Modern Classics) then by Publish Date
SST Publications by author
Subterranean Press by trim size, then grouped by author
Thunderstorm (non-Elemental) grouped by series then by Publish Date

I find a lot of enjoyment seeing those clean lines of organized trim sizes and those little publish logos running across the bottoms of the spines.

Now that I'm looking at my cases, I am thinking about ready for some reorganization. And I'm going to need to start thinking about another bookcase or two. My Centipede and Cemetery Dance cases are almost full.

[slayn666]

Structured chaos. My shelves are largely grouped by genre - fantasy/urban fantasy, horror, sci-fi, crime/mystery, non-fiction - and then by author within those categories.

But I generally know where every book is, so it's working for me.

[Martin]

Interesting topic! You have clearly put more thought into your shelf organization than I have.

Bookcase #1: Centipede Press by trim size, then grouped by series or author
Bookcase #2: Cemetery Dance by trim size, then grouped by series or author
Bookcase #3:
Thunderstorm Elemental Series by Publish Date, and misc. titles from various authors
Earthling Publications grouped by series (Halloween and Modern Classics) then by Publish Date
SST Publications by author
Subterranean Press by trim size, then grouped by author
Thunderstorm (non-Elemental) grouped by series then by Publish Date

I find a lot of enjoyment seeing those clean lines of organized trim sizes and those little publish logos running across the bottoms of the spines.

Now that I'm looking at my cases, I am thinking about ready for some reorganization. And I'm going to need to start thinking about another bookcase or two. My Centipede and Cemetery Dance cases are almost full.

The trim size grouping intrigues me. I may consider that.

[Martin]

Structured chaos. My shelves are largely grouped by genre - fantasy/urban fantasy, horror, sci-fi, crime/mystery, non-fiction - and then by author within those categories.

But I generally know where every book is, so it's working for me.

I am striving for knowing where every book is. That is why I am looking to simplify my sort.

[Sock Monkey]

The trim size grouping intrigues me. I may consider that.

For me, it's just really eye-appealing and that's what I want from my bookcases. I just like to sit back and look at the books as a whole collection and appreciate the opportunity to be able to have a collection. Then I can pull out individual books and admire them for their specific qualities.

It also helps that I'm not a diehard collector of particular authors, like some are for King or Hill. There are, of course, authors that I really enjoy and are "must buys", but I don't feel the need to by everything by any particular author, nor does it bother me to have a my Gauntlet edition of SHADOWLAND by Straub separated from Centipede's edition of Straub's JULIA, or from CD's FLOATING DRAGON.

To each their own, though. I can see where someone could hate my organization. My wife HATES how I organization of my DVD/Blu-Ray collection. I have them grouped by genre (Comedy, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Thriller) and then once they are watched they go in the end of the shelf, unless they are part of a series, then they go with their brethren. She'd like them to be organized alphabetically by title within each genre grouping. Which makes perfect sense. I just feel like it takes the fun out of stumbling across a title as one browses the shelves. Alphabetically, one would know that titles are eliminated as the move from A to B to C, but my way keeps open the possibility of one finding a nice surprise as they browse. Yep, it's a little weird, but I digress...

[RonClinton]

Signed/limited HC anthologies are in two dedicated bookcases. Organized by publisher.

Vintage noir pbs are in a dedicated bookcase. Organized by authors’ last name.

Noir/crime reprint/orig. tpbs are in a dedicated bookcase, organized by authors’ last name.

Hard Case Crime pbs are in their own spinner. No order.

Vintage horror mmpbs are in three dedicated bookcases. Authors’ multiple works grouped together, otherwise no order.

Most everything else (all HC) are in a dozen other bookcases, organized by authors’ last name.

[TacomaDiver]

Looking at my chaos, it seems like this is how I have books organized:

One set of bookshelves with books that are my wife's, organized by author's last name, in publication order.

My shelves (at least in the separate bedroom that is our library) is organized by author's last name in publication order. Although, I do question this method sometimes because, for example Lansdale's Magic Wagon, because when there are multiple versions of the same book released over the years, do I group these together based on original publication date, or when the new version is published? Anthologies are in the front of my books. Random oversized books are just "there" where they fit.

And then on top of these same shelves I have my Peanuts, Far Side, and Calvin and Hobbes collections.

Lastly I have a den where my desk and computer are - there are two shelves with DVDs/Blurays organized by title, and four more shelves full of comic book collections that are sort of organized by title but because the trim sizes are so random, there really isn't an order other than one shelf (not the full unit) is organized A-Z, and the second shelf is a new A-Z order, and so on and so on.

I've ran out of of room in the library, so now books are beginning to be just be placed where they fit.

[Martin]

Looking at my chaos, it seems like this is how I have books organized:

One set of bookshelves with books that are my wife's, organized by author's last name, in publication order.

My shelves (at least in the separate bedroom that is our library) is organized by author's last name in publication order. Although, I do question this method sometimes because, for example Lansdale's Magic Wagon, because when there are multiple versions of the same book released over the years, do I group these together based on original publication date, or when the new version is published? Anthologies are in the front of my books. Random oversized books are just "there" where they fit.

And then on top of these same shelves I have my Peanuts, Far Side, and Calvin and Hobbes collections.

Lastly I have a den where my desk and computer are - there are two shelves with DVDs/Blurays organized by title, and four more shelves full of comic book collections that are sort of organized by title but because the trim sizes are so random, there really isn't an order other than one shelf (not the full unit) is organized A-Z, and the second shelf is a new A-Z order, and so on and so on.

I've ran out of of room in the library, so now books are beginning to be just be placed where they fit.

In cases where I have multiple editions of the same book I generally keep them separate based on release date. My Stephen King shelf is an example. I have The Stand and The Stand Uncut editions in line by release. Another example is The Green Mile, I have the original 6 paperbacks, the trade paperback of the combined book and the first hardbound edition separately.

My DVDs/Blurays are grouped by Genre and then alphabetical by title. I have horror, music, Christmas, children's, non fiction, music and everything else categories. My CD's are alphabetical by artist and release date for multiple titles with no grouping by genre.

[Martin]

I planned on setting the Suntup limited edition of 1984 in my Joe Hill case as he has an introduction and has signed it. Actually found that I could not do that once I had the book in hand. It has to go with the other Suntup limited editions. I have other books with Joe Hill introductions in that case but this one felt different. I was surprised by my reaction. I am weird.

[Ben Staad]

We all have our own quirks however what you stated doesn't sound weird at all. I only have a few Suntup books but I am leaning, as of now, that they stay together.

I planned on setting the Suntup limited edition of 1984 in my Joe Hill case as he has an introduction and has signed it. Actually found that I could not do that once I had the book in hand. It has to go with the other Suntup limited editions. I have other books with Joe Hill introductions in that case but this one felt different. I was surprised by my reaction. I am weird.