Author Topic: Your bookshelf (or book) (Read 10172 times)

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #25 on:** 29 November, 2014, 02:57:53 am »

One of Dr Larrington's chums from the Groves of Academe retired and thus had to clear out all his books from his rooms in $OXFOD_COLLEGE. The choice came down to installing climate control in the garage or reinforcing the ceiling with heavy-duty RSJs

spindrift · « **Reply #26 on:** 29 November, 2014, 08:43:36 am »

As far as I can see the bookshelf porn doesn't include a SINGLE example of a room of books where you pull the shelf and it turns out to be a door to another room with moar BOOKS. 6/10.

Peter · « **Reply #27 on:** 29 November, 2014, 10:43:19 am »

@ Mr Larrington

We used to have that gas fire - but we had to send it back to the library.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #28 on:** 29 November, 2014, 11:55:44 am »

It used to be hidden behind an armchair but things (not of the tandem variety) required that the armchair be moved. I may have to invest in a medieval tapestry to drape over it. I hear there's a nice big one in France.

Peter · « **Reply #29 on:** 29 November, 2014, 02:26:32 pm »

That tapestry would be apposite in a library. I can see the reservation card: Author? Oh hang on, it's by.....by,er....Bayeux. By her? Don't be silly, she's only on work experience.

Glad to see our gas fire is still available to borrowers, though!

Riggers · « **Reply #30 on:** 01 December, 2014, 09:23:08 am »

Now then. Nice covers! Yet to get around to reading them.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #31 on:** 01 December, 2014, 03:56:22 pm »

On a good day the Bookcrawler app on the fondleslab will find the cover of the book you're adding automagically. On a middling day you will have to download it from teh Intarwebs. On a bad day you will have to snap the book yourself. I only had to do this with 27; the results can be seen here. Do not click the link if at all squeamish about toes (it was summer).

Note that these are the raw pics, subsequently edited for size and content, so Bookcrawler does not contain my toes. Also the pictures it displays are really titchy so the quality doesn't matter so much.

Riggers · « **Reply #32 on:** 02 December, 2014, 03:36:28 pm »

Couple of books I have at work that I haven't looked at for ages. And they're nice big 'coffee' books!

I remember America by Eric Sloane. Paintings and drawings are not dissimilar to Andrew Wyeth. Anyway, have a drool:

The Barn by Eric Arthur and Dudley Witney:

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #33 on:** 02 December, 2014, 03:54:44 pm »

(Drools)

Peter · « **Reply #34 on:** 02 December, 2014, 05:22:54 pm »

Likewise, and although you have brought that to us electronically, for which many thanks, books are just light years better, aren't they? I can't quite explain why, but it's sybaritically a huge difference. That said, as you get older, you start to think a kindle would be easier for your survivors to deal with in the house clearance....

Riggers · « **Reply #35 on:** 03 December, 2014, 09:11:34 am »

I know what you mean. A kindle is like looking at a book through a shop window. The only 'plus' for one I can see, is taking it on holiday, instead of filling the bag with ten books. Or, in my wife's case, fifteen books.

Kim · « **Reply #36 on:** 03 December, 2014, 01:26:37 pm »

I'm going to be unpopular and disagree. The book exists irrespective of the physical media, and dead tree format has few advantages. I can appreciate a lovingly-made physical book as much as anyone, but for actual use I don't see why you'd want to be constrained to someone else's choice of typeface, colours, and the unwieldy ergonomics^[1] and forward planning^[2] that come from such a low bit density. If it's anything but a linear novel, the random access of electronic formats wins hands down (I'm biased here, due to my mysterious inability to look things up alphabetically at any kind of speed).

And yes, keeping your book collection on spinning rust and/or flash memory gives you so much more space for storing bikes.

_{[1] Being forced to change your grip/position/viewing angle for every other page. It's fundamentally rubbish for reading in bed.
[2] If your whole collection fits on the gadget you've got with you already, you never have to remember to bring a book for unanticipated waiting around. And even if you didn't, you can easily pull a copy in over the network.}

Riggers · « **Reply #37 on:** 03 December, 2014, 04:13:14 pm »

Thank you Kim. As this is a 'gallery', perhaps you could photograph and show us your bookshelf or books on your kindle.

T42 · « **Reply #38 on:** 03 December, 2014, 04:19:28 pm »

Have a browse

http://www.gigapan.com/gigapans/50826

I'd have liked to embed it but editor doesn't like HTML/iframes. Sorry about the ropey quality, the only camera I had back then that the Gigapan could use was a Canon A590IS.

FWIW I like ebooks to read on my phone in waiting-rooms etc or on my tablet while the computer's booting up, but not for reading anywhere else. Fall asleep with a paper book in your hand and you bend a couple of pages: when your tablet hits the floor it's a bit different. Phablet's good for looking up Xrefs etc, though, or searching for Pepys' naughty night(s) out in 785 pages, or for carrying handbooks I might need. No two of Nikon's flashes (at least not mine) work the same way, and sometimes I need a crib.

I only read free ebooks, though. Never yet felt like buying one.

jsabine · « **Reply #39 on:** 03 December, 2014, 10:34:04 pm »

Quote from: Kim on 03 December, 2014, 01:26:37 pm

I'm going to be unpopular and disagree. The book exists irrespective of the physical media, and dead tree format has few advantages. I can appreciate a lovingly-made physical book as much as anyone, but for actual use I don't see why you'd want to be constrained to someone else's choice of typeface, colours,

Maybe the design's part of the experience of the book. Maybe the illustrations are one of the things that give it value and they're better in colour than in a Kindle's monochrome. Maybe there's a map or a diagram to fold out, that you can spread out on a table or desk and get both the detail you need and the overall picture simultaneously.

In any case, depending on the device you've chosen, you're constrained by the fonts built into your e-reader. Sure, you can blow them up, but it's rare for me to find a printed volume difficult to read whereas I find a fair number of onscreen fonts irritating.

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and the unwieldy ergonomics^[1]

Six and two threes - I don't mind reading a book book in bed. And for reference purposes, I find it a damn sight easier to flick between pages 93 and 393 if I've got a post-it flapping out of them rather than having to click from one to another. This is even more true if it's different books, and I want to compare two or three or four statements simultaneously.

Quote

and forward planning^[2] that come from such a low bit density.

I'll give you that one, no question ...

Quote

If it's anything but a linear novel, the random access of electronic formats wins hands down (I'm biased here, due to my mysterious inability to look things up alphabetically at any kind of speed).

Depends. I'm quite happy with a manual alphabetical lookup, so a dictionary's no problem, but electronic indexing coupled with full-text search wins hands-down. Click to follow a cross-reference - that's good too, and I wasted far too much time with the OED when I had an electromagic copy of it, back when the web was young (and before the thing was available online).

But serendipitous random access? Look something up, spot something interesting on the other page, follow that thread for half an hour - I can do that electronically, but I enjoy it more on paper, and the paths you follow will be different.

Quote

And yes, keeping your book collection on spinning rust and/or flash memory gives you so much more space for storing bikes.

It also means N+1 isn't quite as visible when it's got a little out of hand.

Ham · « **Reply #40 on:** 03 December, 2014, 10:58:53 pm »

This is the current racking status

Years ago (in batcherlorhood) I had around 70 meters+ of books, I was addicted, I couldn't bear the thought of not having them there when I wanted them. The truth? I never wanted them, I never picked them off the shelf, I just wanted to be able to if the mood took me.

I managed the mind shift needed to move away from that, and around 20 boxes went to the charity shop. These days, even when I have the book I've found myself buying the kindle version.

Yes I know they aren't the same, but the words are.

Now, I'm considering disposing of some of the rest, even the Pratchett (now the single biggest concentration)

really doesn't ever get read again.

I have a few car books worth some money, a few photography books. That's about it. By the time I get around to wanting to read any again, I think I'm going to need the large print version.

Heresy? maybe, but it's the harsh truth.

ETA I didn't even know I had a Dan Brown book - must be Mrs or Miss. See what I mean?

David Martin · « **Reply #41 on:** 04 December, 2014, 12:11:46 am »

Short term holdings. Uni bookshelf

DSC_4128 by davidmamartin, on Flickr

T42 · « **Reply #42 on:** 04 December, 2014, 07:48:11 am »

.

Quote from: Ham on 03 December, 2014, 10:58:53 pm

ETA I didn't even know I had a Dan Brown book - must be Mrs or Miss. See what I mean?

I think a lot of people picked up a Dan Brown for the same reason as many bought "The Bridges of Madison County", i.e. to see if the writing was really as bad as the reviews said it was.

tiermat · « **Reply #43 on:** 04 December, 2014, 08:27:37 am »

The real, dead tree ones:

There are books in there, honest!

We don't, at the minute, have one standardised place for books, so there is also a single, long, shelf over the bed where all the PTerry stuff lives, and one in the office where other, random books live. Whilst I am waiting for other stuff to happen there may be bookcases added to the office.

Ham · « **Reply #44 on:** 04 December, 2014, 08:39:12 am »

Quote from: T42 on 04 December, 2014, 07:48:11 am

.
Quote from: Ham on 03 December, 2014, 10:58:53 pm
ETA I didn't even know I had a Dan Brown book - must be Mrs or Miss. See what I mean?

I think a lot of people picked up a Dan Brown for the same reason as many bought "The Bridges of Madison County", i.e. to see if the writing was really as bad as the reviews said it was.

Oh yes, I did that - I think it was curiosity at the time more than any preconceived notion at the time. What is surprising is that I have a copy of it on the shelves, not a choice I would have thought of keeping, IYSWIM.

Coincidentally before this thread started, I had decided that I needed to winnow the cookery shelves (c 4 mtrs, overstuffed) Unfortunately I have two types of books on those shelves out and out cookbooks which are fair game - just pick those you never use these days and food books, which are much harder (eg Larousse, Escoffier, David). I managed to remove 8

IanDG · « **Reply #45 on:** 05 December, 2014, 10:43:59 am »

I need a tidy up!

PC058991 by windy_, on Flickr

IanDG · « **Reply #46 on:** 05 December, 2014, 11:34:40 am »

When one of my boys picks it up, yes. When I pick it up, no

Riggers · « **Reply #47 on:** 05 December, 2014, 12:56:54 pm »

Very nice Winders. I'm blaming any 'clutter' on our the bookshelves on my wife. Grrr.

Now then. One of the books at work. Cover and inside-front cover. First published in 1939. The rest of the innards are posted in 'Interesting and unusual Boaty things'

Author Topic: Your bookshelf (or book) (Read 10172 times)

spindrift