From Floor to Shelf

creating order, simply

Visiting used bookstores has become a hobby of mine. So much so that “used bookstore” and not “things to do” has become my first search when in a new place.

How do I judge these establishments? Through one simple heuristic: clean, organized bookstores, appearing as if an off-branch of Barnes and Noble, are rarely ever worth much time, while messy bookstores, presenting themselves in complete disarray, are almost always worth the extra effort.

A good counter to “worth the time” is that not as much time needs to be spent in the clean ones because everything can be seen in one fine swoop. And that the extra effort in the disorganized one is necessary because of all the digging through shelves and crouching on floor that’s required to see all the titles.

A fair argument. But give me 30 minutes in both types and require me to come away with 5 books from each. Even with missing much of what’s offered in the disorganized bookstore, I guarantee you I’m going to have a difficult time eliminating titles from that 30 minute browse, while I struggle to add titles in the organized bookstore as my allotted time runs out.

One’s personal library, on the other hand, should be made clean—organizationally and conceptually hierarchical. One swoop should portray what you value—order seized from the grips of disarray.