What Does Your Bookcase Say About You?

My bookcases are all filled with hodgepodges of greens, browns, blacks, tans, whites, and every imaginable shade in between. They are always stuffed to overflowing with volumes that are in various degreees of use. The collection could not be complete without paperbacks, hardbacks, and a few spiral-bound handbooks. The books range across the shelves in an order that only I understand, and it would probably drive a reader mad to make the vain attempt to find any particular volume he/she needed.

So, what does your bookshelf say about you? Is it filled with memories of books you've read, or books that have been passed down to you, of classes you've taken, or travels you've gone on, of former lovers or friends, and long discussions with literary friends? Do your bookends say something about where you've been?

In a recent article for The Guardian, Ian Jack talks about the his father's bookcase. The books on the shelves all tell something about who his father was, from his love of Dickens to Burns, Shaw, and beyond.

Take a look at books about how to live with books. Then, join our discussion.