Awesome Book Displays for Your Home

This Antebellum entertainment unit is also perfect as a home for your new book collection.

Did you know that there are now approximately 130 million books that have been published in the history of man? Bookworms will read an average of 6,000 books in their lifetime. Most of these books are far from being memorable as the best books are rare. If we were to be truly honest, each of us could read and remember only 30.

Storytelling is best enjoyed as you read the plot develop and then you are caught up in the sub-plots. It’s just like watching a movie except that you’re now using your imagination.

So you have finally decided to start a book collection. If you’re uncertain about where to begin, then learn a few fundamental tips –

Know What Books to Accumulate

You can easily collect just about any kind of book but collecting what you really love is a hugely different thing. You could begin by collecting books from your childhood, science fiction books, romance novels, or collect based on your favorite authors.

You can pick a subject and a budget for this. Most of all, it is mandatory to have fun as you start collecting books. You can also collect books of art, certain fields or genres, limited editions, manuscripts, illustrated books, signed copies, by era, etc.

Rare Books are a Handful

Know that booksellers use their own jargons and language. This can be a tad intimidating at first but you would soon get used to them. There are different paper types, bindings, sizes, formats, and conditions for various books.

It is important to know that there are book doctors better known as book conservators. These are the best people to approach when it comes to hand bookbinding and conservation. There are librarians that are also conservators and there are also bookbinders.

Now that you know that, you can begin your proper care and handling of your chosen books.

Make sure that you have clean hands when handling your books. Take extra care by keeping beverages and food away from the reading area.

The removal of a book is done properly when you grip the book on both sides of its spine. Your hand should also be situated in the middle of your book. Never tug at the top of a rare book’s spine.

Make sure also that you do not open a book at a 180-degree angle. You can prop the covers of any opened book so you can decrease the size of the angle.

Say no to dog ears, acidic inserts and folding. Use a bookmark instead. Say no also to rubber bands, adhesive tapes and glues.

Proper Storage Tips

Great book storage can prolong the lives of books. It is imperative to have a cool room temperature in your reading corner or home library. Don’t set up your library in the attic, the basement or other areas where moisture can build up.

Exposure to light can also destroy the best books (especially the rare ones). Check that there isn’t any intense or direct light glaring at your new collection.

Group the books according to their sizes (this is preferable so that the face covers are supported by the books on each of its side).

Invest on a feather duster as you will do a lot of dusting during housekeeping. Shelved books should be upright and never leaning. Having them lying flat is also a good way to store your collection.

Organizing the Bookshelf

If you want a picture-perfect bookcase, then don’t give in to the urge of putting every book in your collection in just one shelf. Achieving a clean look means you should also mix some accessories with your books. Pick one color or a tone-on-tone palette for figurines and flower vases.
You can also alternate stacking vertically and horizontally.

Tags: book collection, bookshelf, displaying books, home library, how to display books, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, starting book collection

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 10th, 2017 at 5:00 pm and is filed under Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements, Special Rooms In Your Home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.