where the writers are
There's method in my madness

When I asked my husband to pick up a book for me from the shelves in the living room, and he spent about fifteen minutes trying to find it despite being given a map, I thought it might be time to rethink the organisation of our bookshelves. Our books are not arranged by subject, letter of the alphabet, author, or even colour. They are arranged according to which ones I like most, have the nicest covers, are used most frequently, or are linked in some way in the chaotic cataloguing system I call a brain. This sometimes inspires the question 'Why is Peter Cushing sitting next to an Egyptian pharaoh?'... Well, to anyone who knows anything about Hammer Horror films the answer would be obvious... he starred in the film 'The Mummy'... where else should I put him?

Why is a book about Leamington Spa sandwiched between '1939: The Last Season' and 'Nanny Ogg's Cookbook'? Well, those two books are exactly the same height, and the thin green paperback between them breaks the monotony. Why is the 'ER' guide to the left of Nanny Ogg? Well, her cooking or her left hook could land you in hospital, so I consider that a fitting location. The Japanese dictionaries on the left are there because that's where they've always been, which is as good a reason as any.... not that it matters... which is the next book along, by A. A. Milne.

Generally speaking, there is a certain amount of method in my madness. I like spines to be varied along the shelf... not too much red in one place, or green, or blue. I don't like books to be all of the same height, as that brings with it the requirement to only add books that conform to the height requirement. I'd just have to put a tall one in amongst short ones, just for the hell of it. All this chaos requires careful planning. Okay, I fibbed, it requires none at all... which leaves me more time to actually read the books. 

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The most common quote to

The most common quote to be heard in any insane asylum.

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Really? I thought it was 'I

Really? I thought it was 'I tell you, I am the Scarlet Pimpernel... now let me out, don't you know they're seeking me here and there? If they find me I'll lose my street cred.'

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I am in the midst of moving.

I am in the midst of moving. Just this morning, I began packing up some of my (many) books. I am being veeeerrrry careful. This job cannot be left to the movers, for they will never understand the lengths I go to keep my books in a certain order. It's not Dewey Decimal, it's not alpha by author or title. Only I know the method. I can't quite teach others because it is organic. And I'm relieved to know I am not the only one.

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When we moved from Bath to

When we moved from Bath to Weston-super-Mare, we had the removal men out to give us a quotation. They based it on the pieces of furniture, not on the books contained within them. It took me three weeks to pack the books. When the day came to move, and the stacks of heavy book boxes filled most of our largest room, the removal men recognised their error, and I think we brought two of them almost to tears by the time the move was over. When we unpacked, I could live without a kettle, hairdryer, even a bed... waiting for the books to come out was excruciatingly painful.

 

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I just packed up three

I just packed up three floor-to-ceiling bookcases this morning.  Wonder how many tons of books that was.  Biceps are bulging, though.  :-)

Quite a few books ago, I got a moving estimate similar to yours.  The movers legally locked into a charge based on the size of my living quarters and some sort of average they'd calculated for people with similar situations.  When they loaded the semi trailer and weighed it, though, their estimate was several tons off.  Let's just say, I got a bargain cross-country move from New Orleans to San Francisco.  :-)
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