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It's bookshelf buildin' time!So I'm going to clone the structure of the Ballard Bookcase unit that someone gave us, to build a series of 2 to 4 new bookcases, 30" or so wide and 5 to 7 feet tall. But I don't want to make the shelves adjustable because that's a lot more work, and you're really just procrastinating making a decision on where the shelves go. So I have a mix of oversize art and motorcycle books, and a lot of large and medium size books, and a few paperbacks. I'd never have enough shelves unbox and shelve everything if I made them all big enough for the oversize books, and if I separated each bookcase by size, similar books would be too far away from each other. So I want an oversize shelf on the bottom, a large book shelf above that, two to four shelves for medium/normal sized books, and one shelf on top for short paperbacks. Easy enough, but I've found that there's always a few weird books (what the hell?) that are a little too tall to fit on shelves that are set to the standard sizes, so you have to add a little room. Not that it matters, but I'll use 3/4" thick shelves. So. Given all that, what are the ideal distances between the shelves to allow me to hold a typical selection of books fairly efficiently?
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staffOh, dear. I'm not sure; I think you've stumped me. I love my Ballard Bookcase Company bookcase, in part, because it's adjustable. But there are some books that are too goddamned big to reasonably fit on a shelf while making room for other books below. Those books I usually put on top of a bookshelf, with nice bookends on either side. If your ceiling is high enough, I recommend you do the same. They're way high, but I find that the more cumbersome a book, the less likely I am to consult it that often. I have two Buddha bookends and a nice set of jade-looking rhino bookends that my sister got me from South Africa.
Otherwise, 14 inches will get just about everything besides art books on a shelf just fine. I like that my bookshelves are all different sizes. I have one shelf that's perfect for mass market paperbacks. There are, I think, eight rows of them, and they all fit perfectly and they look lovely all lined up and sized the same.
Anyone else have any theories on optimal shelf size?
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