SAN FRANCISCO, Ca., November 27 — Hey there, literati. Nice collection. And by "collection," we mean "haphazard stacks of big-name classics." You’ve read a lot of beautiful things by a lot of impressive names, but something about your piling method suggests there might be a better way to show off your love of the written word. Better donate your faves to the local library and clean out some floor space, right? Wrong.
How did Oxford and Chippendale put affordable display space in your home? In the Beginning. Used to be, back when men were men and books were handwritten, that a clergy’s cupboard was the most likely place to spot any kind of wordy volume. But Gutenberg and his printing press made books a lot less expensive and a lot more accessible, and the trend (literally) blew the doors off the display model and made open-faced bookcases (oak, usually) the setting of choice. The earliest bookcases in England were found in Oxford’s Bodleian Library, and some rather distinguished fellows named Chippendale and Sheraton, to name two, started putting their own designs together to distinguish Britain’s most elegant, upturned-nose spots.
Innovations
Soon all manner of designers were putting their twists on bookcases; in the 20th century, the trend spun into another dimension as many grand, institutional libraries sprung up in the U.S. and Europe. Those begat stern construction of metal and steel, designed to hold up under tons and through centuries. And the residential market suddenly had a whole range of models to mimic on a smaller scale.
What’s In It For You?
Decoration. The right bookcase will serve two purposes: book shelving (you don’t say) and style that spruces up your home or office space. All spaces having their own finicky sense of fashion, we’ve got a bunch of options: classic, contemporary, and country, for instance, and that’s just the "c" range. Go into "d," and you get things like dollhouse models and such. (Clearly, we could go on.)
Display. Speaking of that shelving, you can go any number of ways (from one shelf to 32). And you can get ’em adjustable or fixed, for that matter. Or to fit in corners. Or to fit in wide spaces with low clearance, or in tight spaces with high ceilings.
Distinction. Well, first of all, you’re showing off how well-read you are (or plan to be when you get around to cracking the covers), so that’s impressive. But tell us that models like this don’t help you stand out from the interior-design crowd.
Meet your match:
Whether you’re showing off Dick and Jane or War and Peace, distinguishing a home or an office, finding space for your modest collection or planning for a family of speed readers, whether you like your shelves fixed or adjustable or a little of both, whether you’d like to put the emphasis on the books or the case they’re stored in, we’ll point out a few of our favorites to help you narrow your choices:
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