Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-06
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

every bookcase, every shelfful, in fact,
comes to have its own individuality.
The booklover is able to place his hand
on any desired volume without loss of
time or bothersome hunting through
hundreds of volumes for the only one
he wants at the moment
No reader can ever tell just when a
certain book may be in demand. lie
may not have read Tennyson for
years. but suddenly some quotation read
somewhere will send him looking for
his Tennyson volume. If this is a treas
ured volume, and he knows exactly
where it is, he is happy, but If he has
permitted his books to be treated like
orphans, kicked hither and yon, from
place to place, he is annoyed at the
trouble he must go to, and probably
disappointed at the end because he
cannot find it.
Thus it will be discovered that, once
the main cases have been filled, they
are best left alone, and subsequent
books placed in new cases. These may
be open, built-in, perhaps on either
side of the fireplace type of case
which is more and more coming into
favor. A similar effect may be secured
with plain but substantial implanted
cases, which may be purchased at a
reasonable price and painted to match
the woodwork There is something ex-
tremely "booky' in the appearance of
such cases. They require more care
than the closed type, but vacuum
cleaner offers heroic aid, and a mini
mum amount of attention will serve
to keep such shelves clean and happy.
It will be found necessary to remove
all the books and clean the bottom OF
the shelves at least once a month.
X X y y
Old magazine racks, now going out
of style. may be converted into bed
room bookcases by the simple expedi-
ent of placing large book along its
side at each end, thus affording rests
for the end volumes in the remain
der of the row. Implanted cases may
be decorated as one pleaSeS for bed
room use. Every such room should con-
tain at least one bookcase. In these
may be kept newer volumes, as pur-
chased, or the less attractive of the
older books, removed few at time
from the downstairs cases OF more
elaborate nature. One naturally wants
the best looking and the best beloved
books downstairs.
Hanging shelves are appropriate in
many rOOnlS, anu are especially fdluaUAC
for holding the smaller and lighter
books, such as small leather-covered gift
volumes which one will buy or receive
from time to time. Sometimes rows
may be placed with fine effect on the
top of windowsills with the aid OF book
ends. These valuable adjuncts to row
of books may be purchased at very
reasonable prices nowadays One pref
erably may buy the sort which recalls
to mind a personal hobby, such as dogs
or cats, or even dancing ladies in gay
postures. if one likes that sort of thing.
The bookend may be used for holding a
row in place on davenport table, or
on the mantel usually short row., or
on top of the bookcase, when one is
hard pressed for room.
Nearly all books have a decorative
value, and particularly so In unexpected
places, so that even the home-owner
himself will smile every time he sees
his row of books in such position, and
as for the visitor, he will invariably be
struck by the novelty of the same. Thus
one of the best ways to handle new
purchases Is to place them in positions
where books perhaps are not ordinarily
found but where, once placed, no one
can give any good reason why they
should not be there.