In large, stately mansions, a personal, well-stocked library is often the norm. But what those who live in middle-class homes? Anyone can have a home library, from the poorest college student to the blue-collar worker attempting to improve personal reading skills. It’s a matter of making the decision and then doing something about it.
The first step is to collect a well-rounded supply of books. These should be the type of volumes that you will want to hold on to, rather than sell at a garage sale or give away to someone. You can find great prices on many desirable books available at garage or lawn sales, newspaper ads, bookstores, and library sales. Browse thoroughly to get a sense of what your family members will find interesting and be willing to read. Classic selections might include the ancient Greek philosophers, like Socrates and Aristotle, whose works can be readily found wherever new or used books are sold. Thinkers like these laid the foundation for Western civilization. Understanding how their minds worked helps us appreciate our culture.
Another type of useful book is biographical reading. Stories about famous or brilliant people make lively entertainment for fans of all ages. Histories of great civilizations add another important component to your library. Keep a globe or map handy for the hands-on learner. You may want to add a few reference works, like a dictionary or an atlas, for those in your family who get deeply involved in their reading.
Great fiction, or literature, is another type of material to get for your collection. Novels by authors like Nathaniel Hawthorne, who wrote The Scarlet Letter, provide a useful example of America's earlier literature. Also look for volumes of poetry, Shakespeare's dramas, and collections of essays by well-known philosophers. Ideally, your library will contain many types of literature written by a variety of authors. Don’t forget the Bible, the backbone of Western thought and religious faith.
The next step to take is to organize your books. A simple alphabetical list of the book's title and author should be adequate. Start a computer file that can be easily updated as needed. This will help if you start lending your works to other people outside your family. You don't want to forget who has a certain book, or when it was borrowed.
Depending on how much space you have for a home library, you may want to get bookends to support groups of books, along with shelf accents, like the bust of a famous writer or thinker. Of course, if you have just a three-tier bookshelf, you probably won't have any extra room. Put it in a corner with a good reading chair and light. Your little library may grow out of this space eventually, but for now it's cozy, quiet, and out of the way.
Organizing a personal home library need not be difficult or expensive. Keeping track of which books you own, and the order in which you have arranged them, will take most of the confusion out of your collection. Then, enjoy!
