How people organise their bookcases

The average Briton owns more than 50 books, but do they organise them alphabetically, by colour, genre, or size - or simply let chaos reign? Our research shows that many simply prefer to let chaos reign, and have no system at all. Men are slightly more likely to prefer an anarchic bookshelf (45%) than women (41%). Just 4% of Britons own no books whatsoever, with men (6%) twice as likely as women (3%). On the other side of the spectrum, 5% of both genders claim to own more than 1,000 books. Those in social grade C2DE are less likely than those in ABC1 to organise their books alphabetically, by colour, by genre or by size - but they are more likely to have no system at all (49%, compared to 39% of ABC1).

YouGov

Books do Furnish a Room

The latest issue of Fine Books magazine has a piece by me on the anniversary of the publication of Books do Furnish a Room by Anthony Powell in his A Dance to the Music of Time sequence. Recent posts by me for the magazine's website include A Typewriter Revolution in Scotland, Aphra Behn Statue Planned for Canterbury, Tenth-Century Exeter Book Digitized, and Mrs. Gaskell’s Bedroom Gets a Makeover. 

Art Day By Day published today

A non-bookshelf post today since it's the official publication day of my latest book, Art Day By Day: 366 Brushes With History - look out for quizes and other stuff on the publisher Thames & Hudson's instagram page. It's history of art meets almanac, providing a unique daily snapshot of the most exciting, unusual, and noteworthy art events from around the world and throughout history through direct testimonies, eyewitness accounts, and contemporary chroniclers.

Drawing on articles, diaries, interviews, letters, speeches, transcripts, and more, Art Day by Day offers an important event that happened on that day in the history of art. Here are the stories of famous paintings, ancient sculptures, comic strips, photographs, murals, manifestos, and marriages, from terracotta soldiers to a self-shredding Banksy. Not every entry is momentous, but each one is significant. Yes, there are thefts, murders, artistic mishaps, and eureka moments, but there are also episodes such as President Theodore Roosevelt’s doodles, Michelangelo writing to his nephew about his kidney stones, and Monet getting the green light for his water garden. Every day has a story to tell.

Nefertiti-inspired Egyptian bookcase

A wooden bookshelf inspired by ancient Egyptian culture (Nefertiti wing). 

 

Meyar Muhammed

 

Fold Shelf

 

A foldable bookshelf, a drawer and a cabinet. The project is made as a Swedish cabinetmakers journeyman’s piece, which has to meet several requirements such as a drawer, hinges, veneered surfaces etc. This set the base for the work. All three pieces follow a consistent line, framing the books and objects on the shelves, in the cabinet, and in the drawer. The collection is created for modern living and adapted to continuous moving. A project in collaboration with designer Hanna Höglund.

Rasmus Palgren

 

Huntley & Palmers biscuit tins

Top tin titles include 'History of Reading' 'Modern Reading' 'Biscuits' and  'Cakes'. Bottom tin titles are by Sir Walter Scott.

Reading Museum

Library staircase

Unique steel staircase with integral library, design proposal for a private client, London, UK.

Design & Weld