Evening star., 1900-12-01
BOOKS FOR 5THE HOME
HOW SPACE CAN BE ,EcoNOMIzED IN
A LIBRARY.
Every Inch Utilized by Shelves Rather
Than by Cases-A Pretty
Interior Described.

Written for The Evening Star. ~
In these days, when the cost of books has
so decreased that any enc may own a Ii
brary, it is frequently difficult matter to
decide what to do with, the literary treas
ures Of the household.
Book cases of the plate glass front and
carved case sort are expensive; indeed, the
cost of their housing deters many people
from surrounding themselves with an ac-
cumulation of volumes and leads them to
join the great army Of nomad readers-the
patrons of the public libraries.
The uses Of public libraries are obvious.
Many books are useful merely for refer
ence and are so expensive that ordinary
readers do not care to buy them. Then,
again, there is ephemeral fiction, which is
only interesting because talked of of at
the moment and not worth boarding.
Every library, even the best ones, when
book shelves become crowded, should be
carefully gone over and books that are of
no further value taken out and sent to the
hospitals or given TO friends who will ap-
preciate them. Old magazines are just as
we'll as not disposed of to the dealer in
secondhand literature, for in the public
libraries of the large cities all the leading
magazines may be found in bound vol
umes.
In spite of all these efforts to limit the
number of books contained in the family
library in any intelligent household. the
quantity of books will be found to increase
from year to year in a way that there is
no accounting for.
HOme-Made Shelves.
For those who dwell in rented apartments
the janitor of the house will, as a rule. If
awarded a generous fee, be ready to go
out to the nearest lumber dealer and buy
some smooth boards and holdings, with
r.-bS SoI, of 1nW cb fo oh IF
the walls may be easily made. If he is in
genious and a bit of carpenter he can so
put together the high book shelves that the
crosspieces may be removed and the frame
work unscrewed when the family moves.
After they are built the shelves should be
gone over with furniture stain and var
niSh. Some of them may be fitted with
brass rods and rings, from which curtains
may be hung. This will give variety to
the appearance of the receptacle and serve
to protect the books themselves from the
dust. Silken curtains of plain shades make
the most artistic draperies, although some
of the cotton fabrics are very artistic, too.
In a suburban dwelling occupied by the
owners of the house there are so many OBJ
vious possibilities for fitting up an ex-
pensive library that it seems superfiuous
to dwell upon them. The book shelves,
which are finished in white enamel, are
headed by an ornate moldfng, along the
base of which the coat of arms of revolu-
tionary ancestors Is seen. Portraits and
prints in narrow frames hang upon the
wall in the narrow space between the top
of the book case and the ceiling. Walls
and ceiling are simply dressed in quiet
tones. ~
Useful and Tasteful, Too.
The bookcases are open ones and fit close
to the wall and are not removable. Above
the simple white enamel mantel there is a
white framed mirror, and the iwainscoting,
what little there is of it, is also enameled
in white. On the mantelshelf stand a few
pieces of blue china and clock.
The shelves of the bookcases are ad-
mirably graded to the sizes of the books
they are to contain. In the handsome book
cases such an economy of space Is i'm
possible, since all the books of a size can
not be slipped into shelves that are only an
inch or two higher than they. All the en-
cyclopedias or bound volumes of magazines
made shelves, and card over them can
specify their class. .-r'
The furniture is simple yet IT must be
admitted, 1T is costly. The chairs Of the
Chippendale order are of old oak, highly
polished. They unusual in design, and
in this case were herlooms in the family.
The tables, too, of carved oak, have been
handed down in the family for more than
a hundred years. The cushioned chair by
the fireplace and the cloth-covered table
on which stand the books in are more
available to average people. The floor Is
covered with a handsome rug and matches
in general tones the upholstering Of the
chair and the little settee
Altogether the interior, which was de-
signed by famous furnisher, is one that
can be easily copied by people Of limited
means.