The Book on the Bookshelf

I like books and bookcases, and I'm interested in the evolution of everyday items, so I really liked this book. Anyone who doesn't share those interests would undoubtedly find it tedious. Petroski does get a bit repetitive at times, and I think it would have been a slog to read the whole thing at once. I noticed in the other reviews that several people objected to his personal anecdotes, but they were actually one of my favourite aspects of the book. The writing is easy to understand, with light touches of humour (and one excruciating pun). I particularly enjoyed the last chapter, "The Care of Books", which was really more about how people interact with their books and collections, and the appendix on ways of ordering the books on your show more shelves. show less

Most of us take for granted that our books are vertical on our shelves with the spines facing out, but Henry Petroski, inveterately curious engineer, didn't. As a result, readers are guided along the astonishing evolution from papyrus scrolls boxed at Alexandria to upright books shelved at the Library of Congress. Unimpeachably researched, enviably written, and charmed with anecdotes from Seneca to Samuel Pepys to a nineteenth-century bibliophile who had to climb over his books to get into bed, The Book on the Bookshelf is indispensable for anyone who loves books.

This non-fiction book is a treat for bibliophiles but could prove a bit of a bore for the average reader. In The Book on the Bookshelf, author Henry Petroski takes an in depth look at the development of books and the humble bookshelf over the centuries including: scrolls and codices, illuminated texts and the modern paperback.

I enjoyed tracing the history of book storage across history, and particularly enjoyed learning more about the practice of chaining precious books to desks in libraries and reading rooms. When chained books were first shelved vertically, they were shelved with their spines facing inwards as the spine was the weakest point of the book and not suitable for attaching the chain mechanism.

What to do then when there were show more too many books and not enough space? This question continues to plague the modern day librarian, and Petroski takes us through the many advances in technology and engineering throughout history addressing this very problem.

Historically, natural light was pivotal in the design of libraries and you can often identify the library in a historic building by the construction of their windows. With the advent of the printing press, books became more prolific and the nature of their bindings began to change. Petroski also discusses the changes in various materials such as: parchment, papyrus and paper.

The book on the Bookshelf is full of historical gems and interesting bookish facts and I'd recommend it to dedicated bibliophiles out there who are interested in a little history. show less

Quite a few years ago, I learned of a book about pencils. I thought it was silly, so I passed it by without a second thought—that is until now. The author of The Pencil has now written a book about bookshelves. Boring you say? I wondered about that, too, but from the first page I was trapped. Henry Petroski is the author of The Book on the Book Shelf. It turns out he also authored a staggeringly long paean to the humble pencil. Need I mention a copy of The Pencil arrived while I was writing this review?

The Book on the Book Shelf is an interesting look at the evolution of book shelves from Alexandria all the way to modern libraries with all sorts of digital tools and equipment to keep track of, sort, and shelve tens of thousands of show more books. I must admit I was incredulous that such a book existed, or would be widely read, yet, I secretly yearned to find out what it is all about. This may not seem exciting, but the first page put me on a thrilling ride through history. I have said this before about trees, and I gleefully repeat myself, I will never again look at my bookshelves as mere furniture. As Petroski writes, “One evening, while reading in my study, I looked up from my book and saw my bookshelves in a new and different light. Instead of being just places on which to store books, the shelves themselves intrigued me as artifacts in their own right” (ix). This is the first sentence of the preface, and I immediately closed the book, and looked at my shelves. I realized each had a story to tell, and each held remembrances of all the decades we had spent together.

Petroski tells us “over 50,000 books are published each year in America alone” (5). I wish I didn’t know this fact. Now I will never catch up! Every time I visit friends or family, I find time to slip away and examine their shelves. I believe a lot can be learned by examining a library. One time, to my horror, I visited a “friend-of-a-friend’s house and could not find a single book—except for some cookbooks in the kitchen. I was stunned! How awful that must be to live without books. I believe it was Cicero who wrote, “A room without books is like a body without a soul.” Petroski writes, “The bookshelf, like the book, has become an integral part of civilization as we know it, its presence in a home practically defining what it means to be civilized, educated, and refined. Indeed, the presence of bookshelves greatly influences our behavior” (4). I must admit I take on a reverential calm when I am among my books or merely walking down the hall.

Petroski has chapters on scrolls and manuscripts, printing and binding, and of course stories of the medieval monks bent over an illuminated manuscript. He explains how books became chained to the library tables. He also includes dozens of intriguing drawings of medieval scholars reading at desks with a variety of solutions to storing books in the background.

I think Henry Petroski has tapped a much ignored vein, which, once let loose, will start a renewed interest in bookshelves as much more than mere furniture. The Book on the Book Shelf belongs in every library along with Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, Sears Subject Headings, and an O.E.D. 5 stars.

--Jim, 3/30/17 show less

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's definitely a niche topic, in that the book talks about the history of bookshelves and book storage. However, the author's writing style is very engaging, which does a lot in maintaining interest. In addition to a broader history of bookshelves and their relation to the history of books, Petroski incorporates a fair amount of his personal experiences into the book, which adds a personal touch. Definitely recommend.

A fascinating history of the book and book furniture which begins by asking where bookshelves came from. Petroski's answer begins with the ancient Romans and explores how developments in one piece of technology (the book) influenced and necessitated developments in another (book furniture, or methods of book storage). Petroski's clear and enthusiastic writing made this a page-turner (with the possible exception of two chapters near the end in which the mechanics of bookshelves in the 20th century began to lose me a bit, possibly because they seem too familiar, especially compared to the uncanny workings of the older furniture), and I strongly recommend the book to anyone interested in the history of the book or the history of things.

Erudite and meticulously researched, The Book on the Bookshelf is also ungodly repetitive and so, often boring.

I read carefully through opening chapters, got captivated by St. Jerome, then read mostly captions of the many fascinating illustrations and
was surprised not to see John Muir's book invention included.

His search for "the perfect bookend" could end with my Grandmother Bell - she crocheted a beautiful rectangle around a brick.