I am looking for a good collection of books to start a library, where do I start?

Answer 1

It depends on the kind of books you are interested in.

If you want a good basic collection of serious literature, here's my advice.

Go to used book dealers, say,

abebooks.com

Look for Franklin Library as publisher. Indicate that you want hardback binding. These books have faux leather bindings (by the way, my daughter the designer tells me they look great on a bookshelf); they are excellent editions, translations, and the like with a few charming illustrations; they are a uniform size, have ribbons to mark your place while reading, and have colorful end papers; and you can get them cheaper than a new paperback.

I just checked and found 591 copies of books priced between $8 and $12, such titles as the Sherlock Holmes stories, Huckleberry Finn, Thomas Mann's Magic Mountain, Ibsen's plays, romantic poetry from Blake to Poe, and the like. They also have some modern titles.

You want the condition to be "very good" or better. These will be used books but as good as new. There are also editions with genuine leather bindings, and there are signed limited editions of modern books. But both of these are considerably more expensive.

If you like boxed books of varying sizes, also of standard works of literature, you might look for books put out by the Heritage Press. These are inexpensive versions of superb editions designed for the Limited Editions Club, which are are rare and quite expensive. But the Heritage Press books are common and inexpensive. Just be sure their condition is rated as "very good," and that they are still in the box.

If you are interested in collecting some other type of books, you can use the same booksellers. There are a variety of ways to scan their collections. For modern fiction and nonfiction, most titles will be available. You will probably want to specify "hardback" and "dust jacket." You may also designate preferences for "first edition" and/or "signed" if you want to be a collector. But these will usually be considerably more expensive.

I collect Americana, so I specify the series or the topic under "key words." Example: Rivers of America. Such collector's finds are more expensive but they are a good investment; their value will likely increase considerably through the years. My collections have.

Enjoy collecting and building your library. But, most of all, enjoy reading these good books!

Answer 2

Start your collection with books you like to read, it will be more interesting and fruitful for you if you get books you like, rather than just sitting and staring at shelves full of books you know you're never going to read.

A good place to start if you want a well-rounded library is to get classic authors like Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe and the like. You should augment the fiction with non-fiction so there's a diverse selection to choose from. Sometimes going to bookstores and looking around is a good way to get ideas, as are /some/ impulse buys.

Try to pick books that you won't mind reading more than once. Books of poetry or short stories are good examples of books you can go back to if you read short sections of them and take breaks.

Most of it is up to you. You can make a library out of any kind of books, and a collection needn't be hundreds, it can be quite small as well (to me two or more books is a collection, twenty or more books can be the beginnings of a library).

Answer 3

It does depend on what type of book you are looking for. In the case of fiction and the novel a good place to start is "Time" magazines' list of the top 100 novels from 1923- present. It gives a broad overview of novels that have proven themselves as cultural and/or literay stalwarts; while I might not agree with all their selections i must admit that it would make a fine start to any library because it includes a very diverse selection of novels from the well known "to kill a mockingbird" to those that may have been somewhat overlooked by popular culture such as "Money" by Martin Amis. Eitherway reading these books are only going to benefit the reader as all these novels are not just well written but encourage, enlighthen and stimulate our perception of the world, real or imagined! So enough talk here is the link: http://www.time.com/time/2005/100books/the_complete_list.html

Answer 4

I bet you did not know that many libraries actually sell books by the pound.!! They sometimes have sales during their fiscal year turn over. Check with your local libraries or online at www.ask.com for the next sale...this way you can fill a library for small money and nothing is more depressing than a half fast library. A library is for all to share and enjoy so fill it with everything your heart desires...

Answer 5

What kind of library? A personal library? Or, a library for a community? If so, what kind of community?

Once you know the answers to these questions, you can get started.

If it's for a personal library, then, start with your own interests. You will be the primary 'patron,' so get what you like.

As for the answers to the other questions, it depends on the community's tastes, your budget and so on.

good luck

Answer 6

Milton, Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, Charles Dickens, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, H.G. Wells, George Orwell, Stephen Leacock, Joseph Conrad, James Joyce, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Mark Twain, Homer, Voltaire, The Apostle Paul... my friend, the question is not where you must begin... but where could you possibly end?

Answer 7

Sit down with a piece of paper in front of your self and make a list of books YOU like. That should be your library, only books you like.

Answer 8

As dumb as it sounds look at the cover something that interests you. After you do that read the brief summary of the book on the back, then read like a couple of half pages in the middle to see if it flows w/you.

Answer 9

from library

first u should know about the book then u should make ur own library

Answer 10

start from the bookz u like to read collect them all and make a library