Sunday 4 October 2009

The Red Shelf


Do you like the red shelf? My mind isn't entirely made up about it perhaps due to the disparity in heights and hues. I also have a larger collection of Vintage Classics and together they would make a striking colour & publisher shelf like my silver Penguin Modern Classics one.

As for patterns, I don't notice any overt publishing preferences except for Vintage Books but I do see a correlation between the colour red and children's literature or the gothic novel. As with most of my other coloured shelves there is an Angela Carter title (actually a duplicate copy as Nights at the Circus was my first Carter novel and my favourite); a Virago Modern Classic; an Armistead Maupin Tales of the City book and a mixture of other books including an absurdist Irish play, Irish novella (both of which are highly recommended), a collection of short stories and contemporary fiction. When creating this shelf I could not exclude Dr Seuss.



22 comments:

Unknown said...

I like your red shelf - I also own about 70% of the books on it. I think red is a good colour - I seem to be atttracted to red books!

Paperback Reader said...

Jackie, red does seeem to be a popular colour! I have a number dotted around on other shelves including cookbooks and fantasy ones belonging to my boyfriend.

verity said...

It is quite full on, isn't it?! My copy of The empire of the sun would fit in well, and Maiden's trip but apart from that I don't have many red books. Have you read Daphne? Such a wonderful book.

serendipity_viv said...

Ooh, colour coordinated shelves - I like that.

Jodie said...

Yeah I like the red shelf, have you done it in colour gradients,seems to be adraker on the left side?

Steph said...

I actually find your red shelf quite striking! And I thought the Dr. Seuss was a great way to cap it off!

Paperback Reader said...

Verity, I have the Ballard book too. I is quite full-on; red is a striking colour.

Vivienne, thank you; I have a full series of coloured shelves posts.

Jodie, I intentionally did it in gradients with the blood-red novels on the left.

Steph, it is quite striking. I love Seuss!

Stacy said...

I do like the red shelf...something about it is very appealing. I think it has something to do with the variety in heights...how most of them are the same but then punctuated by the surprise of a book that is smaller or taller. Whatever the reason...I like it:)

Paperback Reader said...

Thanks Book Psmith, some of the coloured shelves are ordered in size (some completely streamlined because they are all the same imprint) and others are interestingly higgledy-piggledy.

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

You are just too color coordinated; it looks fabulous.

Anonymous said...

I like it. I loved the Katy series, and while Good Wives isn't my favourite Alcott, it just reminded me that I haven't read one of her books in years.

I also quite like the look of the Dr. Seuss.... :) Am a big fan!

Big thumbs up to the red shelf.

Paperback Reader said...

Thank you, Diane.

anothercookie, it's been a long time since I've read Alcott. I reread What Katy Did earlier this year for the first time in years and was left feeling disappointed; I'm cautious now of rereading my favourite, What Katy Did at School.

Dr Seuss is fabulous. I have my nephew from Canada visiting this week and I've been reading him lots of Seuss :).

Jenny said...

I like the red shelf! I see what you mean about the different shades, but I think it looks pretty. I think it's interesting visually to have them in a range of reds.

Anonymous said...

That sucks... I quite liked all three. Can't remember having a favourite though.

Aww, lucky you. Re-reading Dr. Seuss is always amazing. It brings the biggest grin to my face.

JoAnn said...

Hurray for Dr. Seuss! I'd like to read Tales of the City, too These color coordinated shelves are such fun.

chrisa511 said...

I love it!! It just pops! These posts really make me want to colorize my books...

Jeane said...

It looks very striking. What's The Annotated Alice?

Paperback Reader said...

anothercookie, I love school stories so What Katy Did at School appealed more (I loved the writing club they started); I have exceptionally fond memories of it and I am reluctant to have them dashed.

Seuss makes me smile to but my tongue most definitely becomes tied!

JoAnn, Seuss is the best. I love the Tales of the City series.

Hi Chris, thanks for commenting! They do pop, don't they? A full coloured coded personal library is so tempting.

Hi Jeane, thanks for your comment. The Annotated Alice is an annotated edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass; the notes are side-by-side with the texts and very interesting. I am a huge Alice fan and this is my third copy of the books.

verity said...

What Katy did at school was my favourite. Did you know that a couple of Alcotts were published as VMCs? I haven't managed to track down the covers yet, so I can't write about them.

I realised that all of our collectable Jennings books, most of which lack dustjackets, are bound in red cloth. Do they count as red books?!

Anonymous said...

Have you never spotted this marvelous Red List on amazon? Thought you would love it to help expand your eyecatching bookshelf!

Anonymous said...

Sorry, here is the link to amazon's "Really Red List" STUNNING!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/R3UKII42LQADPG/ref=cm_lm_pthnk_view?ie=UTF8&lm_bb=

Paperback Reader said...

Anonymous, thanks for the link - it is stunning! Some of those titles I have and a couple I have on my wishlist so I see longer rainbow shelves in my future.