My home library. Creative project. Home library in a modern interior

home library is a storehouse of knowledge, without which it is difficult for a person striving for success and self-development to do. A home library is a personal guide to the world of incredible discoveries and unforgettable impressions, a faithful and kind friend during leisure hours.

Let them say that the age of the book is nearing its end and that, as a way of conveying thought, it is completely outdated and should soon disappear altogether, just as such forms of information transmission as cuneiform or knot writing disappeared in their time. This article is for those who believe that e-books, radio, television and the Internet will never completely replace paper books, and for those who want to create and organize their own home library, but do not know where to start.

Today, the understanding of the home library is somewhat different than it was 20-30 years ago. For some, these words mean an element of the interior decorating our homes. And if you drive this phrase into the search engine, then the answer to the query will be: “bookcases for the home library”, “furniture for the home library”, etc. That is, we are talking about the manufacture and installation of furniture for your book collection. Apparently, books are a secondary issue.

Personally, I have nothing against decorating the home with the works of great authors in beautiful “clothes”. Without books, shelves and cabinets look empty and worthless, even if they are completely lined with all sorts of trinkets and souvenirs. But do not forget that the main purpose of the book is education, enlightenment (we already wrote about the benefits of reading and how to read books correctly on the pages of our blog) and salvation from idleness. No, we will definitely tell in this article about where and how best to place a home library, but first let's talk about how to form it and what books to equip it with.

Each of us has our own preferences, so when choosing books and building your home library, you should be guided solely by your needs and interests. Some are fond of history, others are technology, some like to read books on philosophy, and some like esoteric literature or self-development materials. It is more likely that a book related specifically to the topic of your hobbies and hobbies will bring pleasure when reading.

Collect books you need for study and duty. If you are an engineering major, collect books on the history of electronics, mechanics, and so on. Use the same principle when choosing reference literature. The direction of your activity should dictate what kind of books you need to look for.

Don't forget classic fiction! No matter how trite it may sound, every home should have at least a few masterpieces by great Russian and foreign writers. First of all, pay attention to the genres that appeal to you.

When choosing your next book, give preference to authors whose works have already interested you in some way. But keep in mind that every person is subject to a creative crisis, and the next work of the author you love may not find the same response in your heart.

Look for reviews of books that interest you and are considering purchasing. Buy a book or not, you will be prompted by the opinions of professional critics and ordinary readers like you. There are many sites on the web, and you can easily find one that you can trust.

When buying a book in a store, leaf through it, and if possible, read a little (some bookstore chains specially place along the shelves comfortable sofas armchairs, thus encouraging buyers to get acquainted with the book). Having briefly reviewed the work and briefly reviewed its contents, you will know for sure whether or not it is worth buying, reading and including this book in your home library.

Filling the home library, do not forget about your children. As you know, interest in reading is formed in childhood, and the most engaging books are adventure novels, such as such great authors as: Edgar Burroughs, Jules Verne, Veniamin Kaverin, Fenimore Cooper, Mark Twain, Daniel Defoe, Robert Louis Stevenson, Mine Reed, etc.

Practical advice on the selection of books, the formation and use of a home library

Disposable tabloids (one-day detectives, women's novels and other non-fiction reading) should not be brought into the home library. They do not carry any small value and are intended only to relax and pass the time.

Don't let your home library become a decoration - be sure to read everything you add to it.

Your goal of building a quality home library should not become a goal to make it bigger than Harvard's library. Collect only those books that are of value to you. For any person and any family, the collected books should become necessary assistants in study, work and self-development, and not a collection collected for prestige.

remember, that building a home library- this is an expensive activity that can affect the budget and take a lot of time. Buying books and planning their placement, acquiring furniture, storing and caring for literature, transporting in the event of a move - all this requires finance, time and effort.

The process of finding the right book will speed up the classification and systematization. For easy searching and saving time (naturally, this applies to home libraries that consist of more than a few shelves), you can use electronic catalogs and special computer programs, helping to correctly arrange all the books into sections. They are not difficult to navigate. For example, if when buying a book you are in doubt about whether you have it or not, enter the title in the search bar (usually these online services synchronized with mobile phones) and voila, your electronic filing cabinet gives you all the information you need. Similarly, during the usual search for the book you need, the program will tell you where the book you need is lost in your rich home library. Of course, book sorting can be approached using traditional methods. Just keep a record and enter in a special notebook all your books with the author, title and year of publication. For convenience, a number of pages should be allocated for each letter of the alphabet.

In the same notebook, mark those books that you give to read on the condition that they return to you.

You can equip your home book depository not only with books, but also with magazines. Collections of such periodicals as "Science and Technology", "Around the World", "Behind the Wheel", "Burda", etc. will take a worthy place in the general education department.

It would seem that finding any book today is not a problem. However, this is not always the case. Old magazines and rare books can be bought from collectors. Therefore, it makes sense to look for like-minded book lovers and chat on forums of interest. In addition, it will give you a new interesting social circle.

How to sell your home library and get rid of unwanted books

To free up free space on generously filled shelves and in cabinets from books that you inherited and that you are unlikely to ever read, you should not throw them away. The Internet is full of advertisements for the purchase of home libraries, and you can always help out some amount of money. And if the amount that you can get from selling your home library seems negligible to you, donate books to the library, friends, colleagues or neighbors. The same can be said about books that you have read to the holes and memorized - do not throw them away. The book not only gives knowledge, but also preserves it for centuries. If she helped you, she will definitely help others.

, however, like buy a home library, you can on specialized sites, forums and groups of social networks. Almost all more or less large advertising portals have a section "Books and magazines". It is better to submit an advertisement for the sale at once in all, well, or at least in several of them. Be sure to describe the book or series being offered for sale. Indicate the number of books, genres, authors, if there are not so many, then the name and year of release of each copy, publisher, state. You can add a high-quality image of the book(s) to the description. So interested in buying your home library, will have a complete picture of it.

A good way for residents of big cities to sell rare and old editions is to give them for sale to an antique and second-hand bookshop. However, don't expect quick sales here. It happens that after evaluating and putting a book on display, more than one month or even a year passes before the moment of sale. It's also important not to go cheap. Experts advise, in search of a fair price, to go through several second-hand bookshops, and then draw conclusions.

There are various communities like the International League of Antique Booksellers and fairs, where a valuable and rare copy is sure to find its buyer.

Where to put your home library

Even if you are not a complete bibliophile, but simply love to read, you probably have collected a significant collection of works of various genres at home. And you, like no one, should understand that books need space - a home library. If book bedlam reigns in your home, and you have been thinking about how to organize a home library for a long time, then we will help you with this.

The arrangement of the home library is best organized in a separate office. It is here that there is an opportunity to devote several hours to self-development or important matters with the confidence that no one will interfere with you. A home library in an office is often not one, but several walls. If you install special built-in bookshelves in the room, the height of which will reach the ceiling, then you can always put the right amount of books in your home.

If you have at home workplace with a rich library - this indicates that you have excellent taste and are broad-minded.

may vary based on your preferences. It can be an ultra-modern room or an office furnished in a colonial style. Libraries with antique furniture look very elegant. Leather armchairs and an oak table never go out of style.

Home library furniture important aspect in the design of the intellectual rest room. Here it will not be superfluous to place a coffee table and a sophisticated seating area for a relaxed pastime. As already mentioned, it is better to choose large and massive cabinets for a home library. Such furniture will create a feeling of nobility of the interior.

For those who are fans of the High-Tech direction, ideal solution can become minimalistic home library interior With comfortable furniture unusual shape and non-standard shelves. Supplement interior decoration rooms will be able to amusing accessories.

However, not only in the office you can enjoy intellectual food. A home library in the living room is quite common. For many, especially for those whose home is no different large area, this option can be a great solution.

The living room is a very comfortable place to create a library. First of all, you need to highlight the corner where the bookshelves will be located, and also consider where you will have the opportunity to sit down and enjoy reading. The project "home library in the living room" can turn into a very exciting activity, because in this room you have the opportunity to realize your imagination one hundred percent.

You can use hinged, built-in or any other design, based on the dimensions of the room, personal preferences and interior design. If your book collection includes some valuable items, install glazed shelves to keep valuable literature.

In the event that you decide to install shelves to the ceiling, then keep in mind that you will no doubt need a ladder. It should be selected, focusing on the overall style of the living room.

Building a home library requires a lot of time to devote to the issue of lighting. Choose lamps that will enable you to read books printed in very small print. In this case, the lighting should be located behind the shoulder, so that the light does not blind you. Keep in mind that dim lighting is ideal for a library, as bright light will adversely affect the preservation of your books. An ideal option would be floor lamps mounted on an ergonomic and comfortable pantograph.

Since not everyone can boast of the spaciousness of their apartment, it is quite reasonable to create a compact library in almost any room. If you have an unused corner or an extra niche in the room, you can use them to install bookshelves. This solution is more than rational for small apartments.

If your house has a staircase, then you can arrange a good place to store books right under it. To do this, you just need to purchase the necessary furniture.

Rules for storing books and caring for them

If you want your home library to serve you as long as possible, and books to remain in perfect condition, it is very important to adhere to certain rules for storing books and ensure proper care for them. And competent home library storage- this is not only a guarantee of its safety, but also a guarantee of our health, since books are a real dust collector.

Shelves with doors will protect books from dust and dampness. If you have them on open shelves, wipe them more often with a damp, but well-wrung out cloth (you can moisten it with a 2-3% formalin solution). Before that, it makes sense to walk with a vacuum cleaner or a broom made of feathers to collect dust. If the books are very dusty, the dust must be removed very carefully.

Ventilate the room where your home library is located more often, and if books are stored in closed cabinets, then them too. The ideal temperature for storing your book collection is 18-20°C at 50-60% humidity.

Be aware that books absorb tobacco smoke well, which is almost impossible to get rid of. So if you value your home library, stop smoking in the room where it is located or equip the room with an extractor fan and an ionizer.

Also, books are detrimental to bright electric lighting and direct sunlight- the binding fades and loses its elasticity, and the pages dry out and turn yellow. Therefore, they should be kept away from light. Arranging a home library, take care of special light sources: floor lamps, table lamps, sconces, etc. Do not let the sun's rays "roam" through your book depository. Tulle, curtains, and more better blinds- all this window "clothes" will protect the books from tarnishing and drying out.

Book restoration

Book restoration is not a cheap service. It is worth paying for it if the book is old and expensive, but the rest of the damaged part of the home library can be put in order with your own hands.

If a book page is wrinkled, place it between sheets of white paper and iron it with a warm iron. The torn page can be lightly glued with thin tissue paper.

Surely, after reading this article, many people thought that today most people prefer digital libraries. Yes, it is, but personally I find it more pleasant to flip through snow-white pages than to click every ten seconds on the buttons or the monitor screen, turning them over, it is more pleasant to hold a real book than an electronic one (smartphone or cell phone). And I think I'm not the only one ... However, "Paper book & E-book" is a very interesting topic that deserves a separate article.

First, a little background, and then I will move on to an overview of applications. If you want to skip the lyrical introduction, then scroll down to the “And now mobile” section. Spoiler: I did not find complete happiness, but there are options.

We had such a family tradition: once a year we removed all the books from the shelves, wiped the shelves, and the books themselves were brought into a red notebook with a thick cover. The notebook was alphabetically categorized and labeled work/author/year. We also added the storage code (for example, G-9-2 - living room, ninth shelf, second row). I don’t remember whether such a notebook was a special notebook for home libraries or we drew it ourselves. At first I wiped the shelves, then I was entrusted to bring books into a notebook.

I think this is a useful tradition, especially when all family members tend to spontaneous book purchases and to borrow other people's libraries while their owners move. You always find something unexpected and put off reading for yourself.

A photograph of a bookshelf to draw attention. About the leftmost book, I have .

Then my sister and I mastered MS Access and tried to transfer the library there. At first it was fun to create directories of authors, publishers, but we soon got tired.

Later, several times I tried to take up the library again and created Excel spreadsheets, Google tables, but somehow dry tabular data did not inspire me. And the cipher of the location lost its relevance: the furniture was rearranged, books were given to read.

For a while, cataloging books lost its relevance because I became a fan of cataloging music. Programs for track recognition, tagging, Spotify and others whose names I can’t remember. This was in the pre-mobile era, many of these programs no longer exist. How many hours have been spent on what was so quickly supplanted by Shazam and Yandex music! But, I must admit, I liked this occupation.

The next step is to discover the livelib portal. I created a "home library" list and started adding books. I was pleased with the large database and quick export from the ozone / labyrinth for books that were not in it. At first, it took me a long time to choose which edition I had, but after a few hours my excitement faded - only 100 books were submitted, there are many more to come. In addition, the service is still visually not very convenient, there is some kind of clutter.

The All my books program passed me by at one time, but even now I am unlikely to install it: only Windows, manual ISBN input, bugs, design.

If you scrolled to the applications section, then here it is

And now mobile

I don't remember when I got the idea to google it, maybe after going to IKEA. After all, there must be a mobile application that scans a barcode, uploads metadata, sorts it all out, and then exports it? Of course it should! It remains only to test all the options.

Disclaimer: I tested apps from the AppStore, I think that for most of them in Google Play have relatives.

So, we take a random stack of books from the shelf. And immediately we are faced with a problem that concerns all applications: Soviet publications do not have ISBNs, but have a different identification number. In principle, this problem could be ended and dispersed. But 1) I hope to find an app that recognizes by the cover or with a good search, 2) the library I'm going to scan is quite new (except for the books I buy from second-hand booksellers), Soviet books are left in my hometown.

1. ISBN Scan

Problem: there are no Russian books in their database. Tried English books, which are at home - works. I wrote a review to the developers with a request to expand the databases.

ISBN Scan in action

No pluses will cover this minus, but I’ll still say about them: continuous scanning of the entire stack of books, beautiful shelves and book cards with space for notes, there is an export of shelves to csv.

Shelves, inside shelves and book card in ISBN Scan

2. Libib

There are Russian books (though with transliterated titles), but not all of them. Apparently, he only searches on Google Books, and there are no new items that are not sold in in electronic format. What is not found can be entered manually. I did not find a quick list export. There are many features in the application, but if there is no good ISBN base, then they are not needed.

What was scanned in Libib. As shown by further testing, one of the best results

3. BookBuddy

Russian-language application, but searched only on Google Books, 4 out of 7 were found, one of them was displayed correctly (with a cover and accurate metadata). A couple of Soviet books were added not manually, but through a web search.

Alas, not all books were found through a web search, although this application has one of the best compared to others

4. Books (Sort-it Apps)

5. Book Scanner

I did not find all the books, some of them I found on Amazon and require a premium account. The design is bad.

6. Book crawler

I can copy-paste this comment: not all books, the search is crooked, the application itself is crooked.

7 Bookcase

Weak database.

At this point, I thought that LiveLib should have its own application.

And it really is

8 LiveLibs

There is simply no comparable database in terms of the number of publications, especially Russian-language ones. But: like the LiveLib site, this service is designed to record what is being read and what has been read, not to keep track of books stored. That is, he wonderfully searches by the barcode, but then the book can only be added to I want to read / read / read (+ note in which format I read it). To add a book to your collection (I created "my home library"), you need to go to the site. If the book is not located either by ISBN or by title, it will not be possible to add it through the application either.

A nuance that applies to all applications: you will not find new items, especially not hits, in these databases. So not all book purchases can be registered immediately.

9. Goodreads

After LiveLib, it is logical to download the Goodreads application. You can create a shelf and add scanned books to it, but not everything is in the database. The book can only be stored on one shelf (that is, either “read” or “in the living room”), you cannot add your own cards.

Only 3 books found on Goodreads

10.HomeLibrary

Incomplete catalog, errors in the database.

11. Bookshelf

I found covers for all books with a barcode, except for the novelty (it searches for 15 databases each), but pulled up crooked metadata. Soviet books add only manually.

12. Book Organizer

5 books were found, 2 were not found (with ISBN), but everything is correct with title covers. Compared to other applications, it looks promising. True, from the metadata it pulls up only the cover-title-author, without the publisher and year. There is a manual entry of the web search, but only the names are found (with the scarcity of metadata, I can manually drive them in).

Minimalist Book Organizer

I'll stop there for now. There is no miracle application in which I would now create my library. So I'll wait, otherwise it will turn out like then with tags and music.

“If Nikanor Ivanovich’s lips could be put to Ivan Kuzmich’s nose, and if I could take some swagger, which Baltazar Baltazaritch has, and, perhaps, add Ivan Pavlovich’s corpulence to this, then I would immediately decide.”

If you take the livelib database, add the goodreads database there and take a simple addition to the shelves and export like ISBN Scan, and even add a photo search. And add social features (but don't overload), a recommender system and e-books, that's when ...

In general, if the article is read by application developers or friends of developers, then;). As an experienced bibliomaniac, I can tell you a lot of interesting things about home libraries, book databases and book publishing.

If I missed some important application or made an inaccuracy, write [email protected].

What to do with e-books and audiobooks?

It is too big topic, it did not fit in this article. Some of the apps listed above can tag the e-book version (Goodreads), and some can scan your dropbox or iCloud. For example, I have about 500 books in the Litres cloud, and what should I do with them?

Starring

We are still talking about books here, so a few words about those books on which I tested the application and which are not on the cover of this article:

• "The Adventures of Famous Books" by John Winternich and "Studies on ancient Russian literature» D.S. Likhachev - fresh additions from the bookstore on the Moika (although I prefer the bookstore at the Ladoga railway station, but I rarely go there). By virtue of the field of activity, I love “books about books”, and “Adventures ...” are all the more published in the legendary “Book”.
• Time Travel by Jace Glick is a rich collection of facts around the phenomenon of time travel, more in a cultural context. It is interesting that the very concept of "time travel" appeared relatively recently, at the turn of the centuries (XIX and XX). Actually, like the concept of "turn of the century." If you like science pop, then MIF publishes it too.
• "Electronic book publishing in Russia" by Vladimir Kharitonov - Vladimir is the main expert on electronic books in Russia, this is my professional literature. I also write to the MYTH blog about e-books,.
• "The Word Living and Dead" by Nora Gal is a balm for the soul for those who make books, and a textbook for those who write and translate. I happen to have two editions of this book at home, so I'm interested in having a metadata wonder app with edition and binding.
• Essential Art History by Susie Hodge is an illustrated guide to major works by era, movement and technique. I love it when a book can be picked up and flipped through from any page.
• “The Technique of Fiction Prose” by Yevgeny Zamyatin is a small collection of lectures, it was recommended to us at literary courses, this year a paper was published. Interestingly, before each lecture there is a short summary.
• "Diary 29" by Dimitris Chassapakis - not found in any database, apparently because it's new. A book-quest in which a lot of editorial effort has been invested :).
• “I feel deeply depressed and unhappy” by Evelyn Waugh is a fresh addition, I have not read it yet. But reflects my state, after installing, registering and testing 12 applications.

V modern world the era of electronic innovation reigns. Almost every average city dweller works, writes and reads using electronic document formats, various gadgets and online books. But despite this, among us there are still lovers of printed publications who from year to year replenish the home library with classic works by great writers or works by contemporary authors in hard or soft cover. When a personal library has more than a dozen books, the question arises of decorating its interior.

Choosing a room for a library in the house

Of course, a separate room allocated individually for book storage is ideal. But most often it happens that the library has to be designed as part of the interior of the living room, hallway, study or other premises. However, professional designers claim that the library area correct design not only does not spoil the room, but also decorates the space. The choice of a room for arranging a storage area and reading books depends on the total number of rooms in the home. Most often, with a lack of space, books are placed in the hall or living room. But if you think it over carefully and choose original shelving, you can place a library collection in almost any room. Do not store printed publications in the kitchen - there is always high humidity, and this can provoke their deformation. In addition, there is a risk of splattering the books with drops of grease or steam. Dark basements or storage rooms are also not suitable for this purpose - there they can be affected by mold, fungi or rodents.

If the library is large in order not to "eat up" a lot of space in one of the rooms, it makes sense to distribute books and place them in several rooms: favorites can be identified in the bedroom, children's literature on the shelves in the kids' room, and all the rest should be placed in the office or hall. At the same time, it is important to take into account that books tend to collect dust, so their number in rooms intended for sleeping should be limited.

Be sure to consider the quadrature of the room in which you decide to equip the library. There should be enough space in the room, you do not need to stack books on the shelves very tightly so that more fit. On the contrary, place books on the shelves freely and arbitrarily. They love space and air, so the room must be well ventilated.

Choosing furniture for your home library

When you have already decided on a room for placing books, the next step is to choose, in fact, the furniture itself, in which printed publications will be stored. It can be cabinets, racks, separate wall shelves etc. Here you need to be guided, first of all, by the number of books available. If you also inherited the library of your mother and grandmother, and books have already filled the whole house, then you should pay attention to special racks that are made to order according to the height of the room. They can be placed, for example, in an office or living room along the walls. Such book "houses" have a huge number of different compartments - this is very convenient for sorting the library.
The second option for home library furniture is bookcases. These can be both traditional cabinets with glass doors, and their modern counterpart - sliding wardrobes, which are made of wood to order and very often decorated with carvings. The latter are ideal for a library located in an office that is designed in classical style.
Well, the third option is a variety of wall shelves. They are suitable for those who have a "young" and not particularly voluminous library. Shelves are often used in modern styles interior, as they are miniature, mobile and most of them can be painted to match the overall style of the room.

Learn more about visual styles

Classical

A classic home library is necessarily located in a separate room or spacious office. This style is characterized by massive cabinets, luxury elements decor, a lot wooden elements in the design of the entire room. There is a special place for reading here - this is comfortable chairs or sofa, desk or coffee table. To make the atmosphere even more conducive to reading, install floor or wall lamps with a lampshade, and lay carpets on the floor.

Unusual book storage systems

Today, not everyone can afford a classical library at home, but this does not mean at all that it should be abandoned altogether. Great alternative are storage facilities on mobile or island structures.

If you connect your imagination or dig around on the Internet, you will find that it is really possible to arrange shelves for storing books in the most unexpected places: under the windowsill (if there is no battery), on the basis of a coffee table, under the stairs, along the perimeter of all walls in the hallway or living room, in mobile rack, which can perform the function of zoning the room, etc.

To prevent the library from looking boring, by building shelving or shelves on the wall, make them asymmetrical and arrange the books by color.

Lighting in the home library

Despite the fact that doctors advise reading in good natural light, such a bright color is fatal for books. Storing them in an area of ​​bright sunlight causes the pages to warp and turn yellow. That is why it is worth providing a local lighting system for the library. This may not be a bright general light on the ceiling, but a wall sconce in a place separated for reading. Windows should be hung thick curtains or blinds. By following the basic tips for decorating your personal book collection, you can create a very enviable library on your own. Do not forget to sort the titles on the shelves according to genre or alphabetically - this general principle organization of literature in all public libraries. It should be noted that it is very convenient in further operation.

Living in the digital age, let's face it, no technology can compare to the feeling you get when you hold a good book in your hands. And if you understand that one good book deserves another, it becomes necessary to create a unique space. Let's think about what a home library should be, the interior of which would suit you.

A home library (or study) is more than a room where we display books. This is a private space where we can escape for a few hours from real world. This means that the interior of the home library should be appropriately set up for comfort and style. And this is what will cause you the greatest delight!

So, in essence, helping you create your own reading nook (with additional elements such as furniture and decor), let's start building our own home library.

1. Choice

A separate room with doors is ideal, but not required. Even a corner can be styled into a cozy little reading nook, as long as it's relatively quiet and not too crowded.

So, first of all, choose a wall space that will be the center of your new home library, the place where the bookshelves will be installed. Make sure it has a lot natural light, or at least it can be illuminated with artificial light sources.

2. Book storage

Of course, the storage space of your home library will depend on how many books you have (or how many you plan to purchase). If you have a large collection, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves will be the most the best option. Maybe even built-in if your budget allows it.

For smaller gatherings, you can install freestanding shelving, or just a bookcase.

3. Strengthening the floor

All book lovers know that books are heavy. Now imagine a whole stack of books taking up space on shelves and bookcases. How should the poor floor feel under them?

When choosing a location for your home library, make sure the floor can withstand the load. You don't want the floor to fail!

4. Setting the mood

Just as no two bedrooms (or kitchens, or living rooms) are the same, no libraries are the same. Only you know how you like to feel while reading, the type of atmosphere you enjoy with a good book. This is what will inspire you in styling your home library, the interior should be appropriate.

Select suitable color to help create environment. If you like the enveloping, rich feel of old libraries, deep reds or rich browns are the way to go.

For a modern home library, interiors can be light blue, cheerful yellow, or white in tone.

Always try to diversify the room with flowers, regardless of whether it is for reading, sleeping or eating.

5. Pick up chairs and a table

Having finished with the idea of ​​what color you like, move on to the furniture. After all, no one reads while standing, so decide which chairs will be more suitable.

6. Choose the right shelves / racks

A strong floor is one thing, and the right shelving is another. A shelf 90 cm long must be at least 2.5 cm thick.

Adjustable or shelves of different heights are genious idea, allowing you to mix multiple book types without wasting space.

Get creative with your shelving. Create a visual puzzle, find shelves that are oddly shaped, square, frilly, multi-colored, whatever suits you.

7. Add living room details

You don't want your home library to look too boring, so details that speak of comfort and a lively look are vital.

think about fresh flowers in beautiful vases, potted plants, a gorgeous rug, scattered cushions on a sofa/chair, a picture on the wall, framed photographs, etc. Feel free to add a few decorative items to the shelves between these books to spice things up.

8. Book cleaning

Creating a decent home library interior is one thing; but keeping it clean is another thing, and here it is necessary to take care of your books.

Think how much dust will gather on those shelves of books. Regular cleaning will keep you from sneezing while you read, as well as keeping pests out that might want to feast on your literary treasures.

Put the books away, wipe the shelves with a soft cloth, using a little polish. Wipe the books with a clean microfiber cloth. Or use a vacuum cleaner - it's that easy!

9. Organization of the library

There is no right way to organize your books. What is right for one person may not be ideal for another. Experiment with different systems until you find one that works for you.

Arrange your books alphabetically, according to genre, thickness, size, or whatever captures your imagination. You can also set the books you want to read soon at eye level. And children's books are on the lower shelves.

We suggest that you separate paperback books from hardcover books. And don't stack books vertically on top of each other. And, most importantly, have fun choosing a styling system!

Find out more about home libraries and bookcase design depending on the style of the interior.

There is an expression that the happiest people are those who have their own garden and home library. The interior you choose should create an atmosphere of peace and help you sit comfortably with your favorite book.

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In the age of new technologies and double speeds in the public mind, for some time, the idea was exaggerated that paper books were about to die out, there would be no one and no time to read them, since everything would be replaced by iPhones and gadgets. And it seemed like everything was going in that direction.

But suddenly, in our country of surprises and bright minds, the process went in a new, unexpected direction for many - the printed book began to revive, moreover, in its best traditions, discarding the "tabloid" and updating the cohort of worthy authors.

Today, a solid home library is an indicator not only of the intellect of the owner of the house and his family, but also of the high social status of the "surname" of the owners. After decades of cultural chaos, educated and intelligent people in our country really want to continue the best traditions of noble families tsarist Russia when every self-respecting estate had a magnificent library and children began to get acquainted with the book in the comfort of their own home. Proud of personal collections of books and in the Soviet Union, when the country was the most reading in the world.

Nowadays, many traditions have been lost, but when a person burns with his soul for creating his own world of knowledge and favorite books, nothing will stop him. The formation of a home library is an extraordinary chance to create in your house or apartment a cozy island of relaxation for each individual and for the whole family, an opportunity to protect children from the influence of the street, instilling in them culture and a passion for reading from an early age.

For those who value their own image - a great opportunity to make a lasting impression on business partners and business colleagues, both Russian and foreign. Expensive and stylish design, a collection of world masterpieces of fiction and professional literature will make an unforgettable impression on everyone with whom you happen to communicate within the walls of the library. The combination of financial resources (a high-quality library is not cheap) of the owner with the number of available publications creates an unshakable image of a professional with high intelligence.

How to start building a library?

Creating your own “book kingdom” should start with planning. Each book lover has his own preferences, but for those who want to collect the ideal library, we still outline the main directions for collecting literature. There will be 5-7 options.

1. Reference books, technical literature.
2. Publications required for professional activity.
3. Popular science, developing literature.
4. Works of art.
5. Literature for children.

For the development of artistic taste and relaxation of family members and guests, it is good to add albums with reproductions of famous artists or individual trends visual arts. Antiquarian books or their facsimile copies, which are not much inferior to the originals today, will perfectly complement the collection.

Now let's talk about each direction of the search in more detail.

Reference publications

These are books that you can refer to. Data on individual sciences, industrial and technical issues, academic disciplines, policy issues, popular data, and even everyday issues can be included.

Of course, in the age of the Internet, there is enough information on the World Wide Web, but, firstly, it takes additional time, and secondly, the reliability of information on ordinary sites is hardly guaranteed. Reference books and technical literature "bring to life" publishing houses, which are responsible for the information provided. Specialized books are published for the most part by narrow-profile publishing houses, especially those who monitor the quality of information.

Therefore, based on the needs and hobbies of family members, reference books in the necessary areas of technical and human sciences in the library are indispensable.

Professional Literature

This category of home library books includes publications that correspond to the professional activities of each family member. Completely new documents are available to find on the Internet or receive them by mailing list, but the basic editions should be in your personal library.

On the shelf of a doctor or a programmer, an architect or a turner, there will always be books on his profile. Professional information tends to be forgotten and therefore should always be at hand. This is especially true of GOSTs, SNiPs and other equally specialized and poorly remembered "rules". Of course, part of the personal library of lawyers will be occupied by legislative acts, economists and bankers - the latest research in the field of the world economy. Any professional literature on home bookshelves creates the effect of professional literacy and dedication to one’s work, which “plays” for a person’s positive image.

Non-fiction books for general development

Each family is rich in its own talents. Someone likes to leave with interests “into the depths of centuries”, others are attracted by the Cosmos, others are interested in how to build a house with their own hands or renovate an apartment. Talk to all family members, look at them closely and find out the interests of each. Create for everyone native person your little book corner of happiness.

Perhaps for the head of the family, such a section will be “fishing” or “chess”, “sports”, “hunting”, “electronics”, “cars” or something else. Do-it-yourself lovers can buy wonderful professional books on construction or repair, wood or metal carving, and many others. interesting activities. For a woman, literature on cooking, raising children, beauty preservation, and cosmetics is suitable. A whole section can be devoted to the arrangement and decoration of your home. Children can get carried away with building models, music, computer programming or geography, movie characters and a dozen other "oddities".

Human interests are boundless and varied. It is important that each member of the family does not feel left out and can find their own "island" of interests in a large amount of literature. Neighborhood on the bookshelves of adult and children's hobbies often develops into a serious interest of the younger generation in the affairs of their parents, and maybe even grandparents. Many great personalities admitted that they continued family traditions, having first become interested in them on the bookshelves in their home. If you want your child to share your work or passion, put your books closer to those that correspond to his interests.

Literature of artistic content

The most voluminous section of the library, in which most beginner book lovers get lost, because they dream of embracing the immensity. Let's start with the main thing - any fiction is divided into prose and poetry. A classical library cannot consist of works of the same type; this impoverishes the book collection and turns its perception into "hard work". Therefore, be sure to choose works of both prose and poetry.

Formation of an art library by historical periods

In fiction, it is customary to distinguish 7 main historical periods:

1. Literature of antiquity.
2. Middle Ages.
3. Renaissance.
4. Enlightenment.
5. XIX century.
6. XX century.
7. Since the middle of the 20th century - postmodernism.

Classics ancient world are considered to be the authors before the 3rd century AD of the peoples of Greece, Rome, China, India, Iran, Judea (Israel), Egypt. The most famous authors and works:

• Homer "Iliad", "Odyssey".
• Poetry of Sappho and Anacreon.
• Tragedy works - Euripides, Sophocles, Aeschylus.
• Comedies of Aristophanes.
• Philosophical works of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle.
• The authors of the Roman era - Plutarch, Cicero, Horace, Seneca.

World classics of the Middle Ages (IV- XVcentury):

• Christian Gospels.
• "Tristan and Isolde".
• Chrétien de Troyes "Lancelot, or the Knight of the Cart"
• Guillaume de Lorris "The Romance of the Rose".
• Spencer "Fairy Queen".
• Benoît de Saint-Maur "The Romance of Troy"
• "The Romance of the Count of Poitiers".
• "Robert the Devil".
• Pauline Paris "The Romance of the Fox".

• Dante.
• Petrarch.
• Boccaccio.
• Shakespeare.
• Lope de Vega.
• Thomas More.
• "Gargantua and Pantagruel" Rabelais.
• "Don Quixote" by Cervantes.
• Michel Montaigne.
• Thomas More.
• Leonardo da Vinci.
• Edmund Spencer.
• Martin Luther.
• "Praise of Stupidity" by Erasmus of Rotterdam.
• "Ship of Fools" by Sebastian Brant.

Times of the Enlightenment:

• Swift "Gulliver's Travels".
• Defoe "Robinson Crusoe".
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau "The New Eloise"
• Choderlos de Laclos.
• Diderot Encyclopedia.
• Voltaire.
• Lafontaine.
• Molière.
• Comedy Fonvizin.
• Fables of Sumarokov.
• Odes of Derzhavin and Lomonosov.
• Goethe.
• Schiller.
• Karamzin "Letters from a Russian Traveler", "Poor Lisa".
• Thomas Grey.
• Richardson.

By the "new times" the literary heritage is becoming richer and more interesting.

ClassicsXIXcentury	XXcentury	Postmodernism
Byron, O. de Balzac, W. Blake, Baudelaire, Heine, Hoffmann, V. Hugo, C. Dickens, A. Daudet, A. Dumas, E. Zola, F. Cooper, J. London, P. Merimee, Guy de Maupassant, Edgar Poe, A. Rimbaud, R. Rolland, J. Sand, J. Steel, Stendhal, M. Twain, W. Thackeray, O. Wilde, A. France, Chateaubriand, Schelling. K. Batyushkov, Gogol, Goncharov, Griboyedov, F. Dostoevsky, Zhukovsky, Lermontov, Pushkin, L. N. Tolstoy, I. S. Turgenev, F. Tyutchev, A. P. Chekhov	Ch. Aitmatov, V. Astafiev, A. Akhmatova, A. Bely, Y. Bondarev, Bulgakov, V. Bykov, B. Vasiliev, V. Vysotsky, R. Gamzatov, M. Gorky, D. Granin, V. Grossman, E. Evtushenko, M. Zoshchenko, F. Iskander, E. Kazakevich, B. Okudzhava, V. Pikul, V. Rasputin, Yu. Semyonov, A. Solzhenitsyn, A. Tvardovsky. P. Valerie, W. Wolfe, J. Joyce, F. Kafka, T. Mann, M. Proust, F. Fitzgerald, W. Faulkner, E. Hemingway, T. Eliot.	J. Barth, Samuel Beckett, William Burroughs, C. Vonnegut, W. Gibson, J. DeLillo, H. Murakami, Salman Rushdie, J. Heller, W. Eco, M. Atwood, Hawkes, F. Dick, H. Cortazar , J. Fowles, T. Pynchon, M. Danilevsky, V. Erofeev, E. Limonov, V. Pelevin, Sasha Sokolov.

A luxurious opportunity for the book lover to acquire the best of the world fiction in collected works. Three excellent libraries have been collected and published by professional publishers:

• Russian classics - 141 volumes.
• World Literature - 200 tons.
• Foreign classics in 589 volumes.

All the best in world and domestic literature, worthy of the richest library. A combination of image design and respectable content.

Women's novels

Love novels written most often by women, reflecting them inner world psychological and sensory experiences. Books for the rest of the female half of the family. It is not worth collecting a lot of modern “pulp” here, but the books of the best love classics will decorate any book collection.

sci-fi classic

Every family will definitely have its fans of the fantastic genre. Its elements originated a long time ago, but the fantasy of ancient centuries is practically not in demand. So modern library are formed by authors not "older" than the 19th century.

The best sci-fi creatorsXXcentury and today: G. Wells, A. Belyaev, A. Tolstoy, V. Obruchev, A. Tarkovsky, the Strugatsky brothers, N. Perumov, M. Semyonova, S. Lukyanenko, R. Howard, J. Tolkien, C. Lewis, R. Bradbury , F. Dick, A. Asimov, R. Heinlein. Ursula le Guinn, R. Zelazny, P. Anderson, M. Moorcock, R. Sheckley, T. Pratchett, A. Sapkowski. Splendor of fantasy combined with excellent literary language authors allow, without a doubt, to add them to the list of "worthy" for any home library.

Literary and art magazines

The best works of artistic poetry and prose often begin their "journey" to the reader from the pages of "thick" magazines. This has been the case since the 18th century and continues to this day. Magnificent luck - to find a selection of old magazines and organize their binding under a common cover, put on the shelf of the home library the first editions of the best works of the 20th century.

The undisputed leaders in demand have always been magazines " New world”,“ Friendship of Peoples ”,“ Banner ”,“ Foreign Literature ”,“ Our Contemporary ”,“ Youth ”. The publications Don, Zvezda, Neva, Oktyabr, Ural and others have always found their readers. Even today, the rich literary heritage that passed through the pages of these magazines has not been fully published.

Other Ways to Build a Home Art Library

For lovers of literature and geography "in one person" the library can be formed on a regional basis - alphabetically by continents and countries. Within each country, highlight poetry, prose, and children's literature. To form a list of authors for each country, you can contact the online bookstore to specialists, or choose literature yourself, focusing on the indication of the language from which the book was translated. To date, you can collect a library of works of art from more than 140 countries of the world.

The "backbone" of the best library, of course, will be world "golden fund" of novels : V. Hugo, Dumas father and son, Stendhal, Balzac, Zola, Flaubert, Maupassant, Proust, R. Rolland, Cervantes, W. Scott, C. Dickens, W. Thackeray, T. Dreiser, J. Updike, T. Wolfe, J. Steinbeck, E. Hemingway, Goethe, G. Mann, E. M. Remarque, Feuchtwanger.

From Russian authors it is impossible to imagine a home collection of books without the works of A. Pushkin, M. Lermontov, N. Gogol, F. Dostoevsky, L. Tolstoy, I. Turgenev, I. Bunin, A. Fadeev, M. Bulgakov, M. Sholokhov, M. Gorky, B. Pasternak, A. Solzhenitsyn and a number of other writers.

For polyglots, you can collect literature in any language known in the family. In addition to Russian, it can be a section of English, French, German or any other literature in the original language. The combination of multilingual books in one library encourages family members to learn previously unknown languages ​​​​and amazes the guests with the intellectual abilities of the hosts.

All the best for children

Any home library is unthinkable without children's literature. Even if your children are well over 20 years old, you can always invite grandchildren and great-grandchildren to your library. In the children's department of a self-respecting home library, there must be fairy tales, poems, works of a prose nature (stories, novels, novels) and fairy tale fiction (fantasy genre).

Best Writers for Children by Genre

• Fairy tales: Russian folk tales, fairy tales of the native people, Ch. Perrot, the Grimm brothers, A. Pushkin, A. Lindgren, G. Kh. Andersen, L. Tolstoy, K. Ushinsky, D. Mamin-Sibiryak, A. Volkov, M. Uspensky and a lot others. Today it is possible to assemble a magnificent library folk tales more than 150 countries and nationalities of the world.
• Poems: A. Barto, S. Marshak, K. Chukovsky, G. Oster, B. Zakhoder and others.
• Stories: N. Nosov, V. Dragunsky.
• Tale different topics: A. Gaidar, L. Kassil, M. Twain, V. Kataev, N. Aseev, L. Carroll, N. Nosov, L. Lagin.
• Novels: J. Verne, V. Medvedev, A. Rybakov, K. Bulychev, D. Defoe, J. Rowling, R. Stevenson, L. Bussenard, M. Twain, A. Green, W. Scott, F. Cooper.
• Fantasy: K. Bulychev, V. Krapivin.

Issues of visual design of the home library

An ideal library should look stylish, orderly and expensive, working not only for the hobbies and artistic interests of the family, but also for creating its image in front of contemporaries and descendants. Therefore, no matter what the subject of the book you choose, try to create a general sense of beauty and harmony.

Collected works, designed in the same style, books in exclusive binding, equal size of books on one shelf give a magnificent appearance to the library. It is convenient to highlight the literature of one country, one genre, subject, language, etc. with a color scheme. For some owners of book wealth, it is especially pleasant to arrange their favorite authors in the best bindings, which will immediately distinguish them from the general book variety.

On massive mahogany shelving it is better to arrange rare historical editions in classic leather binding brown shades. Modern bright shelves will create harmony with large format publications light colors. It is not necessary for the library to match common style decor in the house. Everything that the owner likes can be created here - from a classic dark office to a hall with impressive columns, high-tech metal or retro style. A stylized library will make a great impression on others. Fantasies are possible on any topic, from an ancient cave to a medieval castle or a spaceship.

A properly compiled catalog and a clear arrangement of books on shelves and racks will help you navigate the book "ocean".

Bookplates and owner's binding

The famous book collections of the past of the great families are distinguished by another feature - the presence of an ex-libris, a bookmark certifying the owner of the book. It was affixed on the left side of the flyleaf. In especially noble surnames, the superex libris was placed on the cover or spine. The sign included the name and surname of the owner, as well as a figurative sign informing about the profession or features of the library itself.

Such a “marking” of books can be called a kind of family coat of arms, which was passed on to descendants. And today this tradition is experiencing its renaissance. People who have collected a huge magnificence of book wisdom in their home library proudly mark it with their “official seal” in order to pass on their heritage to their descendants, to emphasize the peculiarity of their collection to friends and colleagues.

The same purpose, only in an even brighter performance, is served by the owner's binding. They create it by order of the owner and arrange the entire library in this way, or books that are especially valuable for the family.

The home library is a special place outside of time and space. Here, the aura of past centuries and the wisdom of generations makes you almost forget about the present, gives you the opportunity to be alone with your soul and your favorite book, get away from the problems of work and life, taste the peace of silence and comfort in a family oasis of knowledge.