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Object Lessons
Bookshelf
Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.
Every shelf is different and every bookshelf tells a different story. One bookshelf can creak with character in a bohemian coffee shop and another can groan with gravitas in the Library of Congress. W riter and historian Lydia Pyne finds bookshelves to be holders not just of books but of so many other values, vibes, and verbs that can be contained and displayed in the buildings and rooms of contemporary human existence. With a shrewd eye toward this particular moment in the history of books, Pyne takes the reader on a tour of the bookshelf that leads critically to this amid rumors of the death of book culture, why is the life of the bookshelf in full bloom?
Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.
Every shelf is different and every bookshelf tells a different story. One bookshelf can creak with character in a bohemian coffee shop and another can groan with gravitas in the Library of Congress. W riter and historian Lydia Pyne finds bookshelves to be holders not just of books but of so many other values, vibes, and verbs that can be contained and displayed in the buildings and rooms of contemporary human existence. With a shrewd eye toward this particular moment in the history of books, Pyne takes the reader on a tour of the bookshelf that leads critically to this amid rumors of the death of book culture, why is the life of the bookshelf in full bloom?
Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.
152 pages, Paperback
First published January 28, 2016
13 people are currently reading
528 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
November 10, 2019
Kitapseverlere hitap eden, çevirisi güzel, keyifli bir kitap...
Yazarın tercihleri doğrultusunda, kitapların öyküsünü kitaplıklara bağlayan güzel bir çalışma...
Yazarın tercihleri doğrultusunda, kitapların öyküsünü kitaplıklara bağlayan güzel bir çalışma...
September 26, 2025
This is a short book, knew that going in, but it felt way too short. The book is one of the series in Object Lessons. It stays very close to the subject matter, providing history and various ways in types of bookshelf, such as moveable or fixed, and very short on what can be found on a bookshelf. I did enjoy reading about the history of chained bookshelves, and particularly the library in Hereford.
Some authors in this series take a wide view of the subject and include personal details from their life, but not here. Usually I do like that approach, yet here I wanted a peek at her own bookshelves.
This book felt like it barely scratched the surface of this topic. It had a long bibliography, pages of notes and index that all told are around 20% of the book. One book Pyne quoted from often I do hope to read later this year, The Book on the Bookshelf. I’ve had that book for a long while, perhaps it will provide more of the details that I felt missing from this book.
Unfortunately, another book discussed a little too much, provided spoilers for a book on my to read list, Umberto Eco’s, The Name of the Rose. Ugh. I will have to wait a while longer before reading so as to forget what I now know.
This was good, but ended with wanting more.
Book rating: 3.75
Some authors in this series take a wide view of the subject and include personal details from their life, but not here. Usually I do like that approach, yet here I wanted a peek at her own bookshelves.
This book felt like it barely scratched the surface of this topic. It had a long bibliography, pages of notes and index that all told are around 20% of the book. One book Pyne quoted from often I do hope to read later this year, The Book on the Bookshelf. I’ve had that book for a long while, perhaps it will provide more of the details that I felt missing from this book.
Unfortunately, another book discussed a little too much, provided spoilers for a book on my to read list, Umberto Eco’s, The Name of the Rose. Ugh. I will have to wait a while longer before reading so as to forget what I now know.
This was good, but ended with wanting more.
Book rating: 3.75
July 30, 2017
I have a feeling that other books in this series are better. I enjoyed it, but had a lot of questions at the end about people and books she only briefly touches upon. The text really meandered. Pyne also inserts herself into the text liberally, which seems self-indulgent, and also pointless (as it doesn't make the text any more interesting, really). I'm being very critical mainly because it didn't live up to my expectations (given how great the idea for the series is, the high recommendations the series was given, and how beautiful the physical book is). Anyway, it is better than I am actually describing, and some ideas will stick with me for a while.
May 10, 2016
"It's almost as if a person's bookshelf is a Jungian personality test or a Rorschach inkblot; the books and not-books a person puts on their shelves become a declaration of identity."
Essän ekar en aning av Barthes och Bourdieu, men innehåller inte tillräckligt mycket sociologi eller psykologi. Blir uttråkad av den kulturhistoriska wikipediagenomgången av boksamlingar genom tiderna.
Böcker om böcker är en svår genre. Önskar att jag plockat upp en 'object lesson'-essä om något jag har mindre förkunskaper om än bokhyllor, t.ex. Containern, Cigarettändaren, Kylskåpet eller varför inte Tystnaden.
Essän ekar en aning av Barthes och Bourdieu, men innehåller inte tillräckligt mycket sociologi eller psykologi. Blir uttråkad av den kulturhistoriska wikipediagenomgången av boksamlingar genom tiderna.
Böcker om böcker är en svår genre. Önskar att jag plockat upp en 'object lesson'-essä om något jag har mindre förkunskaper om än bokhyllor, t.ex. Containern, Cigarettändaren, Kylskåpet eller varför inte Tystnaden.
June 22, 2017
Nice little history, and Pyne makes an intersting connection between ebooks and chained books that I hadn't thought about (though note Amazon now lets a person use five devices). I do wish she had included a bit about shelving on places like GR though.
March 21, 2019
Ortaçağ'ın kitapları raflara zincirli kitaplıklarından günümüzün dijital kütüphanelerine kadar değinen hoş bir kitaptı.
September 23, 2016
This one was perfection for me, although I understand that it may not be everyone's cup of tea. This is one edition of a new series from Bloomsbury called "Object Lessons" that explores the cultural and social significance, along with the history of various items or concepts. Bookshelf was my first dip into the series and I'm looking forward to reading more. This slim volume looked at bookshelves through time -- how they came to be, what we associate with them, what they signify, how libraries use, and more. It was a great cross between history and cultural studies that I thoroughly enjoyed.
March 7, 2016
A great little book, especially for book lovers! Although I think about the cultural history of books all the time in my own research, I've rarely considered the shelves those texts live upon until picking up this book. Now I can't stop thinking about the history behind all the bookshelves I encounter!
March 20, 2019
Eğer kitaplıklara takıntılı değilseniz sizi sıkacak bir kitap olabilir.Ben biraz takıntılıyım,her gittiğim yerde ilk incelediğim şey kitaplıklardır.O yüzden severek okudum bu kurgu dışı kitabı.5 ana başlıktan oluşuyordu,bazı kısımlar ee bu niye anlatılıyor hissiyatı verse de çoğunu severek okudum,hatta daha ayrıntılı anlatılsaydı keşke dedim.
December 29, 2021
Une histoire de l'étagère à livre qui se concentre sur certains moments particuliers (premières étagères, un chapitre complet sur le livre à chaîne, la représentation des étagères dans la littérature, le cinéma et la science-fiction, etc.) et qui explicite comment le livre conditionne la création de l'étagère et comment l'étagère influence aussi le support du livre (surtout à travers le livre chaîne ou encore les tablettes électroniques).
C'est une histoire et une analyse très intéressante, j'ai surtout été attiré par la description des bibliothèques de navire qui avaient de multiples fonctions: pratique pour la navigation, de prétention intellectuelle et littéraire, de divertissement (il y a avait des magazines!!), mais aussi d'alphabétisation pour l'équipage ; bref, ce n'était pas qu'une bibliothèque pour le capitaine, mais vraiment pour tout l'équipage. Je suis aussi très impressionné par le nombre de livres à bord ; on mentionne près de 2900 livres pour l'expédition Franklin qui devait durer 2 ans ; je suis vraiment impressionné·!!!
Je suis toutefois en désaccord avec l'analyse de la représentation des bibliothèques dans la littérature et l'audio-visuel de science-fiction. Oui, l'analyse de surface de la présence de bibliothèque dans un vaisseau ou un futur lointain peut bien représenter l'attachement à la Terre, à la culture ou l'âge de la personne qui la détient, mais l'essayiste, alors que son analyse des bibliothèques des vaisseaux navals est super intéressante semble avoir oublié combien l'espace est important, cher et difficile à avoir dans les sociétés futuristes. Avoir une bibliothèque, c'est aussi une manifestation de richesse (je comble l'espace qui pourrait servir à d'autres par des livres) ou extrêmement symbolique (je suis coincé dans une cabine pour on ne sait combien de temps et ce que j'ai décidé d'y apporter/mettre, ce sont des livres). Il ne s'agit pas seulement de remplacer les étagères par des tablettes par que c'est le "futur du livre" (comme l'essayiste démontre très bien que ce n'est pas le cas), mais parce que les conditions et l'absence de place conditionne plutôt l'absence de livres (et facilite par exemple des tablettes ou holodeck [où on peut aussi lire des livres papier!!]).
Sinon, une entrée qui reste intéressante dans la collection Object Lesson et qui plaira sûrement à toutes les personnes qui s'intéresse au livre (et qui complémente bien un des premiers cours que j'ai reçu en littératures de langue française et qui s'intéressait à l'histoire et la matérialité du livre ainsi que des supports et des étagères, beaucoup de choses que j'ai apprises dans le cours pas mentionnée dans le livre et vice-versa donc ça se complète super bien!).
C'est une histoire et une analyse très intéressante, j'ai surtout été attiré par la description des bibliothèques de navire qui avaient de multiples fonctions: pratique pour la navigation, de prétention intellectuelle et littéraire, de divertissement (il y a avait des magazines!!), mais aussi d'alphabétisation pour l'équipage ; bref, ce n'était pas qu'une bibliothèque pour le capitaine, mais vraiment pour tout l'équipage. Je suis aussi très impressionné par le nombre de livres à bord ; on mentionne près de 2900 livres pour l'expédition Franklin qui devait durer 2 ans ; je suis vraiment impressionné·!!!
Je suis toutefois en désaccord avec l'analyse de la représentation des bibliothèques dans la littérature et l'audio-visuel de science-fiction. Oui, l'analyse de surface de la présence de bibliothèque dans un vaisseau ou un futur lointain peut bien représenter l'attachement à la Terre, à la culture ou l'âge de la personne qui la détient, mais l'essayiste, alors que son analyse des bibliothèques des vaisseaux navals est super intéressante semble avoir oublié combien l'espace est important, cher et difficile à avoir dans les sociétés futuristes. Avoir une bibliothèque, c'est aussi une manifestation de richesse (je comble l'espace qui pourrait servir à d'autres par des livres) ou extrêmement symbolique (je suis coincé dans une cabine pour on ne sait combien de temps et ce que j'ai décidé d'y apporter/mettre, ce sont des livres). Il ne s'agit pas seulement de remplacer les étagères par des tablettes par que c'est le "futur du livre" (comme l'essayiste démontre très bien que ce n'est pas le cas), mais parce que les conditions et l'absence de place conditionne plutôt l'absence de livres (et facilite par exemple des tablettes ou holodeck [où on peut aussi lire des livres papier!!]).
Sinon, une entrée qui reste intéressante dans la collection Object Lesson et qui plaira sûrement à toutes les personnes qui s'intéresse au livre (et qui complémente bien un des premiers cours que j'ai reçu en littératures de langue française et qui s'intéressait à l'histoire et la matérialité du livre ainsi que des supports et des étagères, beaucoup de choses que j'ai apprises dans le cours pas mentionnée dans le livre et vice-versa donc ça se complète super bien!).
May 28, 2017
Love books? Ever considered the shelves they're spending their lifetime on? Well, it's about time to and well worth it. Booklovers' complementary literature.
April 8, 2019
Büyük bir şevkle aldım fakat beğendiğimi söyleyemeceğim.
Kültür tarihi kitaplarında konu içinde akış arıyorum ve bu akışın da keyif verici olmasını bekliyorum.
Bu kitapta aksayan bir yan var. Tarihi geçişler az olduğu gibi dar bir perspektife sığdırılmış. Babaannem kütüphaneci idi, ben lise yıllarımda okulun kütüphanesini düzenleyip kayıt altına aldım, konuyla ilgiliyim ve biraz da bilgiliyim. Kitaplığın sadece fiziki haline (o da üstünkörü yapılmış) odaklanılmış ve ağırlıkla Amerika kıtası temel alınmış. Cicero ile başlayan akış maalesef tekliyor, okuma keyfi de. Çokça tekrar cümleleri olması da ayrı bir can sıkıntısı.
Ümid Gurbanov son dönemlerde sosyal medyada çok iyi çevirilerle adından söz ettiren bir çevirmen. İlk çeviri kitabı olduğunu düşünüyorum, hatalı veya kötü diyemem ama eski çeviri tarzını devam ettirmiş bu çeviride; kitabın akışı ile video görsel akışı farklı oluyor, burada biraz daha tutuk bir çeviri yaptığı hissine kapıldım.
Türkçeleştirilmiş (ki Fahrenheit 451 eserle aynı yayınevinden çıkma!) eserlerde Türk yayınevlerine atıf yapılmasını beklerdim; bu yapılmamış. Bahsedilen eserlerin hepsi oldukça yetkin çevirmenlerimizce Türkçeleştirildi, bunların yapılması yerine İngilizce eserden çeviride ısrar bende editöryal okumanın gözardı edildiği şüphesi doğuruyor.
Bennet Ailesi’ne vurgu yapılan paragrafta “Bennet Bey” ve “Bennet Hanım” tercihinde özel bir amaç yoksa (ki ben bulamadım) bunu akışta sırıtan bir metne dönüştüğü kanaatindeyim. “Bay ve Bayan Bennet”in yabancı topluma mensup bir aileden bahsedildiği vurgusunu daha iyi taşıdığını düşünüyorum.
İthaki’nin kurgudışı yeni serisi Minima’nın ilk eseri keyif vermedi. Umarım dizinin diğer eserleri bu olumsuz yargıyı aşabilecek şekildedirler.
Kültür tarihi kitaplarında konu içinde akış arıyorum ve bu akışın da keyif verici olmasını bekliyorum.
Bu kitapta aksayan bir yan var. Tarihi geçişler az olduğu gibi dar bir perspektife sığdırılmış. Babaannem kütüphaneci idi, ben lise yıllarımda okulun kütüphanesini düzenleyip kayıt altına aldım, konuyla ilgiliyim ve biraz da bilgiliyim. Kitaplığın sadece fiziki haline (o da üstünkörü yapılmış) odaklanılmış ve ağırlıkla Amerika kıtası temel alınmış. Cicero ile başlayan akış maalesef tekliyor, okuma keyfi de. Çokça tekrar cümleleri olması da ayrı bir can sıkıntısı.
Ümid Gurbanov son dönemlerde sosyal medyada çok iyi çevirilerle adından söz ettiren bir çevirmen. İlk çeviri kitabı olduğunu düşünüyorum, hatalı veya kötü diyemem ama eski çeviri tarzını devam ettirmiş bu çeviride; kitabın akışı ile video görsel akışı farklı oluyor, burada biraz daha tutuk bir çeviri yaptığı hissine kapıldım.
Türkçeleştirilmiş (ki Fahrenheit 451 eserle aynı yayınevinden çıkma!) eserlerde Türk yayınevlerine atıf yapılmasını beklerdim; bu yapılmamış. Bahsedilen eserlerin hepsi oldukça yetkin çevirmenlerimizce Türkçeleştirildi, bunların yapılması yerine İngilizce eserden çeviride ısrar bende editöryal okumanın gözardı edildiği şüphesi doğuruyor.
Bennet Ailesi’ne vurgu yapılan paragrafta “Bennet Bey” ve “Bennet Hanım” tercihinde özel bir amaç yoksa (ki ben bulamadım) bunu akışta sırıtan bir metne dönüştüğü kanaatindeyim. “Bay ve Bayan Bennet”in yabancı topluma mensup bir aileden bahsedildiği vurgusunu daha iyi taşıdığını düşünüyorum.
İthaki’nin kurgudışı yeni serisi Minima’nın ilk eseri keyif vermedi. Umarım dizinin diğer eserleri bu olumsuz yargıyı aşabilecek şekildedirler.
March 31, 2026
Um pequeno livro que reflete sobre a história, função, evolução, papel cultural, futuro e ciclo de vida da estante (talvez „estante“ não seja a palavra correta, mas em português não há nenhuma palavra com o mesmo sentido que „bookshelf“. A ideia mais aproximada será „estante de livros“). Um objeto do dia a dia que à primeira vista pode passar despercebido, mas tem um papel cultural e simbólico bastante significativo ao longo da história.
Uma visão geral e superficial dos tópicos propostos com algumas notas curiosas que tornam a leitura fácil de um tema tão específico e de nicho, ainda que este objeto esteja presente em quase todas as casas do séc. XXI (obrigado IKEA!)
Vale muito a pena ler como porta de entrada para o tema. A bibliografia e referências são vastas. Mas não se espere uma grande profundidade.
Algumas das principais ideias são repetidas à exaustão ao longo de todo o livro e alguns exemplos pessoais da autora que não são assim tão curiosos (como o ciclo de vida de uma estante do IKEA que comprou em segunda mão), mas a forma como o livro está escrito e apresentado vão ao encontro do mote principal desta coleção de pequenos livros sobre objetos do dia a dia.
Nota importante para pessoas que querem, mas ainda não leram „O Nome da Rosa“ de Umberto Eco:
NÃO LEIAS ESTE LIVRO. É uma fonte de spoilers!
Uma visão geral e superficial dos tópicos propostos com algumas notas curiosas que tornam a leitura fácil de um tema tão específico e de nicho, ainda que este objeto esteja presente em quase todas as casas do séc. XXI (obrigado IKEA!)
Vale muito a pena ler como porta de entrada para o tema. A bibliografia e referências são vastas. Mas não se espere uma grande profundidade.
Algumas das principais ideias são repetidas à exaustão ao longo de todo o livro e alguns exemplos pessoais da autora que não são assim tão curiosos (como o ciclo de vida de uma estante do IKEA que comprou em segunda mão), mas a forma como o livro está escrito e apresentado vão ao encontro do mote principal desta coleção de pequenos livros sobre objetos do dia a dia.
Nota importante para pessoas que querem, mas ainda não leram „O Nome da Rosa“ de Umberto Eco:
NÃO LEIAS ESTE LIVRO. É uma fonte de spoilers!
April 13, 2025
To be fair, this is only fair, since I wanted more—e.g., not merely the differences between types of shelving or uses, but what it means and signifies when libraries shelve books facing out instead of showing spines. I give Pyne credit for her choices and determination to tell her specific story of the bookshelf, but I wish she had gone further. What does a crammed bookshelf say rather than a sparsely-shelved one? What does a lawyer’s bookshelf mean, or a bookshelf behind someone on Zoom? What did Dickens’s bookshelf look like, or James Baldwin’s? What did the 5-foot shelf communicate? And though I appreciate hearing from Umberto Eco (note: though not her giving away whodunit in The Name of the Rose!),William Gibson and Ray Bradbury, why drag in Ayn Rand?
Extra star for good intentions and how pretty it looks on a bookshelf.
Extra star for good intentions and how pretty it looks on a bookshelf.
January 1, 2022
3.5 stars
May 30, 2019
Kitaplıkların hikâyesi ile kitabın ve insanın hikâyesi nerede, nasıl kesişiyor? Yayınevinin de belirttiği üzere "ince şeylerin hatırını gözeten" bir kitap.
March 30, 2019
Konu başlığı ve içeriğindeki vaad ettiği bilgiler ilgimi çekmişti, Kayıp Rıhtım’ın incelemesine 1 rağmen bir şans vermek istedim ama vermesem de olurmuş. Romalı şair Cicero ile başlayıp oradan zincirli kütüphanelere oradan hereketli ve modern kütüphanelere geçiyor, biraz kütüphane mimarisinden bahsedip modern çağda kişisel kütüphanelerin psikolij etkisine girer gibi yapıp aynı şeyleri tekar ediyor. Genelde küçük bilgieri gereksiz uzatarak ve tekrar ederek pek iyi olmayan bil dille anlatmış yazar.
Son zamanlarda okuduğum en kötü ve gereksiz kitaptı diyebilirim.
Son zamanlarda okuduğum en kötü ve gereksiz kitaptı diyebilirim.
July 17, 2021
The author repeatedly claims great bidirectional, complex, and formative interplay between books and bookshelves (as well as a similar relational significance between other moieties, e.g., bookshelf A and bookshelf B, bookshelf and library, Shakespearean paraphernalia and shelf of Shakespeare works ("... a fantastic example of not-books that are still shelved next to book manuscripts, each category of books and not-books lending the other category meaning and purpose")), but she never expounds upon such interplay beyond verbosely communicating simple ideas, e.g., books were heavy so bookshelves had to be strong.
This is fine information, but it hardly backs up her lofty claims of complex interdependent development. (And how does a figure of Shakespeare give "meaning" and "purpose" to a bookshelf of Shakespeare works? I really was eager to listen (read: read) to some subsequent ontologically compelling and psychosocioculturally resonating argument, just as I was following all her claims, but it never seemed to come.)
This was a frustrating book to read because it had so much potential. Oh well. The cover is cute and if a friend doesn't know some books used to be chained in libraries, some bookshelves move, books represent knowledge, and e-books haven't replaced paperbacks, I can direct them to this object "lesson" accumulating dust on my bookshelf.
This is fine information, but it hardly backs up her lofty claims of complex interdependent development. (And how does a figure of Shakespeare give "meaning" and "purpose" to a bookshelf of Shakespeare works? I really was eager to listen (read: read) to some subsequent ontologically compelling and psychosocioculturally resonating argument, just as I was following all her claims, but it never seemed to come.)
This was a frustrating book to read because it had so much potential. Oh well. The cover is cute and if a friend doesn't know some books used to be chained in libraries, some bookshelves move, books represent knowledge, and e-books haven't replaced paperbacks, I can direct them to this object "lesson" accumulating dust on my bookshelf.
June 7, 2025
Having read a few of these now, it's hard to capture just what I expect from the books and what's delivered. I am assuming I'm getting one thing but very often get another but it's not necessarily a bad thing. It's the idea that how can you write about 100-pages about an object that captures it's essence, history, cultural significance, and description.
Pyne opens up about bookshelves early history when books were chained. And then the expansion to ideas about digital bookshelves and children's bookshelves and home bookshelves that hold more than just books but personal artifacts. There are people who have smart books on display in public areas of their homes and the rest of the delightful stuff tucked away in more private areas. Then there's the idea of bookshelves as hidden portals or entry spaces and collapsible moveable shelves for storing lots of books.
"The first thing a visitor notices upon walking into the library at Hereford Cathedral are the chains hanging from the bookshelves."
"... a book nerd's nirvana since the library's collection contains hundreds of books, some over a millennium in age. Centuries earlier, the wooden desks next to the bookshelves invited readers to sit and read; today the empty desks next to the bookshelves silently mark time's passing, roped off from visitors. Stepping into the Library feels like stepping back in time through hundreds of years of English history."
Pyne opens up about bookshelves early history when books were chained. And then the expansion to ideas about digital bookshelves and children's bookshelves and home bookshelves that hold more than just books but personal artifacts. There are people who have smart books on display in public areas of their homes and the rest of the delightful stuff tucked away in more private areas. Then there's the idea of bookshelves as hidden portals or entry spaces and collapsible moveable shelves for storing lots of books.
"The first thing a visitor notices upon walking into the library at Hereford Cathedral are the chains hanging from the bookshelves."
"... a book nerd's nirvana since the library's collection contains hundreds of books, some over a millennium in age. Centuries earlier, the wooden desks next to the bookshelves invited readers to sit and read; today the empty desks next to the bookshelves silently mark time's passing, roped off from visitors. Stepping into the Library feels like stepping back in time through hundreds of years of English history."
November 11, 2019
What is more beautiful, relevant, powerful- the Library of Congress or an Apple Store?
As a passionate biblio/audiophile and avid reader in many forms, this short narrative gave me great pause to consider the history and future of great literary works and conveyance of human knowledge. Brilliantly presented and thoughtfully written, Pyne dives way beyond the meaning of a book to the form and function of the furniture that has a surprisingly huge impact on our culture. The physical weight carried by bookshelves may or may not become obsolete with technology- we still use pencils despite keyboards- but what is the essence beyond nostalgia for tomorrow's readers and library cardholders?
Loved the discussion of IKEA, my own BILLY bookshelf is well traveled!
Another great instalment of this amazing series- read in print... :)
As a passionate biblio/audiophile and avid reader in many forms, this short narrative gave me great pause to consider the history and future of great literary works and conveyance of human knowledge. Brilliantly presented and thoughtfully written, Pyne dives way beyond the meaning of a book to the form and function of the furniture that has a surprisingly huge impact on our culture. The physical weight carried by bookshelves may or may not become obsolete with technology- we still use pencils despite keyboards- but what is the essence beyond nostalgia for tomorrow's readers and library cardholders?
Loved the discussion of IKEA, my own BILLY bookshelf is well traveled!
Another great instalment of this amazing series- read in print... :)
October 28, 2016
This slim book is part of the "Object Lessons" series of books about...objects. This one of course is about bookshelves. I found the idea intriguing, and it's a cute little book, but it was only partially satisfying. It was fairly enjoyable and a brief read, but I felt as though it only slightly touched on the most potentially interesting topics and repeated things in a rambling sort of way. In some ways I thought perhaps the author had trouble stretching the subject to full length, yet could have gone deeper into areas like historical shelves, various designs and the reasons behind them, and more. Still, it's an esoteric topic that one doesn't get the chance to read about very often!
October 31, 2017
Totally ironic that a book that ponders the future of physical printed books would leave their final edits so riff with typos and mis-spellings. Page 56 alone had more than 13 errors in it's one paragraph alone. "Fixed" was spelled "fixt", "stepped" is "stept", "helped" is "helpt." Three "are" words are simply left as "ar" and two examples of "have" are "hav." Did they type with with a broken "e" key?
That aside, I rated this as liking it because the content is just wonderful. Looking to read more of the Object Lessons titles because of their snappy little backpocket size & study of "the hidden lives of ordinary things."
That aside, I rated this as liking it because the content is just wonderful. Looking to read more of the Object Lessons titles because of their snappy little backpocket size & study of "the hidden lives of ordinary things."
July 13, 2019
As the author jumped from subject to subject for no apparent reason, my mind did the same but jumped from question to question. Why is she telling this? How are these two issues interconnected? Why are we suddenly talking about digital piracy?
At a certain point, my mind got confused, stopped asking questions and shut itself up after giving my hands the order to do the same with the book.
At a certain point, my mind got confused, stopped asking questions and shut itself up after giving my hands the order to do the same with the book.
March 10, 2021
”What makes a bookshelf a bookshelf are the recurring decisions made about its structure, architecture, and function.”
A fascinating, well-researched deep dive into the bookshelf as a physical, cultural, and social object. I particularly enjoyed the comparison between historical chained libraries and modern ebooks.
A fascinating, well-researched deep dive into the bookshelf as a physical, cultural, and social object. I particularly enjoyed the comparison between historical chained libraries and modern ebooks.
March 6, 2026
2.5☆
i feel a good chunk of things this book attributes to bookshelves could more accurately be attributed to books or libraries. even given that, it could have been 25% shorter and didn't really need to be a book, in my opinion.
the history of chained books was interesting, and there were interesting facts scattered throughout the book, but it feels like a lot of faff mostly
i feel a good chunk of things this book attributes to bookshelves could more accurately be attributed to books or libraries. even given that, it could have been 25% shorter and didn't really need to be a book, in my opinion.
the history of chained books was interesting, and there were interesting facts scattered throughout the book, but it feels like a lot of faff mostly
December 14, 2024
Meh. I skimmed/skipped most of it. A lot of word play and repetition of words. It felt written towards page count. I gave it two stars because I love books and anything about books will get something from me.
January 11, 2018
I am a confessed book nerd and loved this meditation on the bookshelf.
March 1, 2018
A great read for anyone who loves books or libraries.
March 13, 2018
the parts that were interesting were really great, it was tedious at times
April 28, 2019
3.5'tan 4 yıldız. Genel geçer bir kitaplık konsepti tarihçesi; günümüzden örnekler ve yorumlamalar da güzel harmanlanmış. Keyifliydi.
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