Lens-Artists Challenge #351 Books

by

Ritva Sillanmäki Photography invites us to join the lens-artists challenge #351 BOOKS.

We love books, live surrounded by books, write and collect books. We are accompanied by our two ever-present Bookfayries, Siri and Selma, who live on shelf 6 in the library. However, our love for books sometimes turns into a love-hate relationship when Kb comes home beaming with joy with a beautiful book about Inuit knots or a stack of ten old books and Dina tears her hair out because there is no more room for them.

Wir lieben Bücher, leben umgeben von Büchern, schreiben und sammeln Bücher. Begleitet werden wir von unseren zwei stets präsenten Buchfeen Siri und Selma, die auf Regalbrett 6 in der Bibliothek leben. Unsere Liebe zu Büchern wandelt sich jedoch bisweilen in eine Hassliebe, wenn Kb wieder Freude strahlend mit einem wunderschönen Band über die Knoten der Inuit oder mit einem Stapel von zehn antiquarischen Büchern nach Hause kommt und Dina sich die Haare rauft, da es keinen Platz mehr für sie gibt.

You may find it hard to believe, but we even give away books such as ‘The Magic of the Bean’ and ‘An Introduction to 17th Century Lithuanian Literature’. Yes, we donate entire subject groups, books that no longer interest us. But this is the dilemma every collector faces: should you only keep what you need? Kb’s argument: ‘Every book I sorted out, I miss at some point.’ Because as soon as a book was gone, Kb would stand in front of the shelf at night and sigh: ‘This book is exactly what I needed right now.’

Ihr mögt es kaum glauben, aber wir geben sogar Bücher weg wie „Die Magie der Bohne“, oder „Einführung in die litauische Literatur des 17. Jahrhunderts“. Ja, ganze Sachgruppen spenden wir, Bücher, die uns nicht mehr interessieren. Aber hier gibt es das Dilemma eines jeden Sammlers, soll man nur das behalten, was man braucht. Kbs Argument: „Jedes Buch, das ich aussortierte, vermisse ich irgendwann einmal.“ Denn kaum war ein Buch weg, stand Kb nachts vorm Regal und seufzte: „Genau das hätte ich jetzt gebraucht.“

It is somewhat challenging to arrange the books in a meaningful way. There was Dina’s aesthetic order based on colours. Marx’s ‘Das Kapital’ ended up between a picture book about Norway and an encyclopaedia about garden gnomes.

Eine gewisse Herausforderung ist es, die Bücher sinnvoll zu ordnen. Da gab es Dinas ästhetische Ordnung nach Farben. Da landete „Das Kapital“ von Marx zwischen einem Norwegen-Bildband und der Enzyklopädie über Gartenzwerge.


This system was replaced by the male system of alphabetical in subject groups (alphanumerical). But despite the melting ice, our polar department, for example, continues to grow and grow. Put books in two rows? That would make Dina’s hair stand on end. What to do? At some point, the books will force us out of our house and we’ll have to move into the garden shed.

Diese Ordnung wurde durch die männliche Ordnung alphabetisch in Sachgruppen abgelöst (alphanumerisch). Aber trotz schmelzenden Eises wächst und wächst z.B. unsere Polarabteilung. Bücher in zwei Reihen stellen? Da stehen Dinas Haare zu Berge. Was tun? Irgendwann werden uns die Bücher aus unserem Haus verdrängen und wir müssen in den Gartenschuppen ziehen.

No trip is planned without prior research in bookshops. We found many treasures in the book town of Hay-on-Wye, the National Book Town of Wales. There are over 20 bookshops there, an endless temptation for us. In the second-hand bookshops in Hay, we not only found books we had been looking for forever, but also ones we didn’t even know existed.

Keine Reise wird geplant ohne vorherige Buchladen Recherche. Viele Schätze fanden wir in dem Buchstädtchen Hay-on-Wye, die National Book Town of Wales. Dort gibt es über 20 Buchläden, eine Verführung ohne Grenzen für uns. Wir fanden in den Antiquariaten dort nicht nur Bücher, die wir ewig suchten, sondern auch welche, von deren Existenz wir gar nicht wussten.

It’s amazing how powerful books can keep you in a place. Moving house would be awful with our library, because books are not only beautiful, they’re also heavy, ‘very heavy,’ groan our two book fairies. Moving house with a library like ours would be a punishment, Dante’s eighth circle of hell.

Es ist erstaunlich, welche Bindungskräfte Bücher besitzen. Mit unserer Bibliothek wäre ein Umzug grausam, denn Bücher sind nicht nur schön, sondern auch schwer, „sehr schwer“, stöhnen unsere beiden Buchfeen. Ein Umzug mit solcher Bibliothek wäre eine Strafe, Dantes achter Ring der Hölle.

Tone and Mylenea reading in Fredrikstad, Norway

Are we living in a house or a library? Trying to do both at the same time is an adventure – especially when two Bookfayries, a bibliophile collector and an aesthetically sensitive tidying lady are involved. But one thing is certain: it will never be boring.

Leben wir nun in einem Haus oder in einer Bibliothek? Beides gleichzeitig zu versuchen, ist ein Abenteuer besonderer Art, besonders wenn zwei Buchfeen, ein bibliophiler Sammler und eine ästhetisch sensible Lady beteiligt sind. Aber eines ist sicher: Langweilig wird es nie.

With best regards from the world of Books

Mit freundlichen Grüßen aus der Welt der Bücher

The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂



© text and illustrations, Hanne Siebers & Klausbernd Vollmar, Cley next the Sea, 202

172 thoughts

    • Thank you very much, dear Jacqui.

      ‘Books’ – that is our topic. We hardly ever take part in challenges, but this one we couldn’t resist.

      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Beautiful photos showcasing the love of books. Those bookcases in your ‘home library’ are wonderful, but we don’t have the space for anything like them. So many of my books have to live in boxes in the garage, and when I lay quietly in bed some nights, I hear them whispering to me. “What have we done? Please free us from these boxes and read us again”.

    Love from Beetley, Pete. X

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Pete

      Oh dear, what a pity. The problem is that books take up lots and lots of space. We are at our limits now.
      We have friends, book lovers as well, who follow the principle that for every new book, an old one has to go. We couldn’t do that.

      We found a beautiful little stepladder for libraries in an antiques shop next to us. We had to buy it. Kb is looking for a big standing globe now. For him, that is what a library needs and we would have the place. – Anyway, there are many gadgets for libraries …

      Thanks for your comment.
      We wish you a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  4. I love all of these photos, especially your fabulous home library. Nothing wrong with living in a library. I agree, as soon as I get rid of a book, I need it a few days later! I always felt bad for Jane Austen as her father had to sell the 500 books from his well-stocked library when they moved to Bath. I’m sure she missed those books. Happy reading!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you very much, dear Darlene 🙏 🙏

      We didn’t know this about Jane Austen – what a pity! 😦
      Hanne left a big library behind when she moved to Cley. This is the library where she sorted books by colour. Kb sold his first library when he moved to Montreal. Moving and books don’t go together.

      Enjoy reading
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Thanks for the entertaining read! At one time , a very long ago, I collected books as well. I could never part with books I had read because they were old friends. About 20 years ago, I started using an e-reader. It’s not the same tactile engagement as with a book, but the stories are still there and I can keep them forever and take all of them with me when I travel.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Terry

      We can see the advantage of e-readers, especially when you travel or move. It seems that books don’t like to be moved. But we are quite conservative. We need a real book. And we want to live surrounded by books. That’s cosy for us.

      On the other hand, we like audio-books. We are listening to them daily when cleaning, gardening and driving.

      Thanks for commenting
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • P.S.

      You have just been to Antarctica. Amundsen had quite a library on his ship, bringing him to the ice shelf.
      There are beautiful ship libraries. I went by ship several times from Germany to Montreal. Most of the time, I stayed in the library.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Eure Lebenswelt der Bücher oder Bücherlebenswelt liest und sieht sich sehr inspirierend. Ein paar winzige Parallelen entdecke ich durchaus. Der größte Unterschied ist wohl, dass ich keine Ahnung von Büchern habe und nur kreuz und quer lese, was mich gerade so anregt. Ich hoffe, dass ich nach dem Ruhestand mehr Zeit habe, um mich diesen wundersamen Werken der Wunder widmen zu können.

    Habt eine lese- und bücherfreudige Zeit, Belana Hermine

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Habe herzlichen Dank, liebe Belana Hermine. 🙏 🙏

      Hanne und ich sind seit einiger Zeit im Ruhestand und können so gnadenlos unserem Hobby frönen.
      Dir wünschen wir, dass du das auch bald kannst. Wir halten dir gaaaaanz fest die Daumen und Siri und Selma helfen noch mit ihrer Feenmagie nach.

      Mit lieben xx Grüßen vom Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Danke fürs Daumendrücken und die Feenenergie. Das kann ich gerade sehr gut gebrauchen. Und nebenbei versuche ich schon, ein bisschen den Traum zu leben und ein bisschen vom Traum in der Arbeit umzusetzen 🙂

      Euch allen eine schöne neue Woche, Belana Hermine

      Liked by 1 person

    • Liebe Uschi, lieber Herbert

      Herzlichen Dank für euren Kommentar. Ja, unsere Bibliothek wächst und wächst, obwohl wir sie bald aus Platzgründen für ausgewachsen erklären müssen.

      Liebe Grüße nach Frankfurt, wo ihr mir lieber Weise stets eine feine Unterkunft zur Buchmesse geboten habt
      Klausbernd 🙂

      Like

  8. A wonderful homage to your family’s love of reading and books, Klausbernd. Hanne’s photos of your book shelves, your hunt for new books and the intimate scenes of readers convey the importance of literature in your lives. Read on, Fab Four! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thank you very much for your kind comment, dear Jane 🙏 🙏

      We couldn’t imagine not living surrounded by books.

      With love from the sea
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  9. My dear friends, what a wonderful post, beautifully captured over many years.
    I can’t live without books. Books are gateways to other worlds, times, and minds. They offer escape, adventure, insight, and intimacy. They’re finite objects, yet they hold infinite possibilities. That tension between the physical and the imagined I find endlessly compelling.

    I know you have visited many libraries, new and modern in Oslo and old and utterly beautiful in Dublin. They are places where human knowledge, imagination, and experience are archived—stored not digitally or ephemerally, but physically, in a way that feels weighty and enduring. They make us feel that our stories matter and can outlast us, like a collective memory.

    Visiting someone for the first time, I’m always intrigued to see their bookshelves. It’s is so private and intimate. Our personal shelves become autobiographies of who we were, are, and hope to be.

    Thank you for inspiring me to think about books. I can assure you, my library is growing too. 😉
    Kram
    Annalena xx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Annalena

      What a lovely comment, thank you very much 🙏 🙏

      Indeed, we love books and libraries. As you write, private libraries say a lot about their owners, as public libraries say lots about the places where they are. It’s funny that we like best the very old and the very modern ones.

      We collected mostly non-fiction books in former times. Nowadays, we collect mostly fiction with the exception of books about the polar regions and philosophical books and books about symbolism.

      Kb is just reading a fascinating book. ‘The Age of Wonder‘ by Richard Holmes. It’s about the scientific revolution during the times of Romanticism.

      Sending you lots of love
      XXXX
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  10. Of course you would have an entry for this challenge! Is there anything more beautiful than a library or a bookshop? I suspect Dina would opt for seal pups. Aren’t you glad you don’t collect those? I only have a few bookshelves but they overflow into a cupboard, where they tremble in waiting for a decision- the charity shop or a permanent home with me? Photographs of books are beguiling too. I peer so hard to see if I recognise or have read any. The wonderful world of books xxxx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. Twenty bookshops in one town??? Oh, my, I’m certainly jealous of that! Our small town lost its last bookshop several years ago, and nothing has taken its place. Of course, we have a HUGE public library, but borrowing isn’t quite the same as owning (unless you’re moving residences, you know!) It must be magnificent, living with all that knowledge and inspiration surrounding you!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Debbie

      Our small village of 350 inhabitants has a rich tradition of authors residing here. There is even a book about this tradition: ‘Literary Norfolk‘ by Julian Earwaker. We have one bookshop only. But it’s Hay-on-Wye which has so many bookshops. It’s a place of pilgrimage for book lovers.

      Thanks for your comment
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • P.S.
      There are many more people reading books in Europe than in the USA. That is why more bookshops can survive here. Another reason is that we have quite a lot of independent bookshops.

      Liked by 2 people

    • At least we have a substantial public library, though it saddens me our bookstores have folded up. I consider myself an avid reader (and would probably find Europe much to my liking!)

      Liked by 1 person

  13. So ein wundervoller Beitrag, da klopft doch mein Leseeulen-Herz besonders schnell. Ich habe noch keine Ordnung bei mir gefunden. Allerdings fällt es mir schwer, Bücher wegzugeben. Womit ich allerdings seit einiger Zeit begonnen habe. Bücher wandern in den Bücherschrank in der Stadt oder zum Förderverein unserer Stadtbibliothek, der damit auch mittels eines Flohmarkts Geld erhält. Viele Grüße an Euch in die Bücherhölle

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Liebe Constanze,

      Wir sind uns da ähnlich. Alle Doubletten – und wir sind erstaunt, wie häufig wir Doubletten in unserer Library finden – und Bücher, die wir aus anderen Gründen aussortieren, kommen in das öffentliche Buchregal der Gemeinde, für das wir als freiwillige Helfer zuständig sind. Und einmal im Jahr gibt es einen großen Buchverkauf, Bücher für kleines Geld. Wir lieben es, Bücher zu verkaufen. Kb hatte auch zwei Buchläden in Köln, allerdings selten Zeit, dort selber die Kunden zu bedienen. Was jedoch sehr lehrreich für einen Autor ist.

      Mit lieben Grüßen von der sonnigen Küste
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Though buying books online is convenient and offers a selection from many sellers we could never visit in person, one advantage of an actual bookshop is the chance to browse the shelves and sometimes find interesting books we would never have known exist.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • You are absolutely right, dear Steve. Visiting a bookshop is like a treasure hunt for us.

      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  15. What would we do without books! My study is small and one wall was a bookcase to the ceiling. Well, I was encouraged, shall we say, to reduce the number of volumes! In the end I gave about 500 to the National Trust used bookshops, there are a few not too far away. I suppose it’s not enough….what will happen when I’m not here, hopefully in the heavenly library, reading everlasting books! 😉
    Great post and photos, as usual 👍

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Ashley

      We have a two-level system. Level one, books we sort out at home go to our open book corner (with more than 5000 books). Level 2, books with a shelf life of more than half a year there go to one of the largest bookshops of the National Trust, to Blickling.

      Thanks for commenting
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • There is one book that I just cannot give up and that is Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki Expedition. One of my father’s books which I read aged 10 or 11 years of age. Although the expedition took place a year or two earlier, the book I have was published in the year of my birth, 1950. Goodness knows why my father had it as he was not well travelled, and likewise I am not well travelled. That journey, with its black and white photos has captivated me ever since, going on to read many of Heyerdahl’s other books. Rather than have it buried with me (I know, it’s a grim outlook, but it’s what happens when you reach a certain age) I shall leave it to my grandson who I hope will pass it on to my great grandson! One other, book: Songlines by Bruce Chatwin. Two small books that have had a huge impact on me! 😊

      Liked by 2 people

    • Hi, dear Ashley,
      I was fascinated when I first saw the Kon-Tiki in Oslo when I was about ten years old. My mother bought Heyerdahl’s book for me then. I later read everything I could get about Heyerdahl, how he wanted to flee civilisation with his girl, which unfortunately ended dramatically.
      ‘Songlines’ I read rather late in my life, when I was in my thirties. It was cult then, but I was not so impressed. I rather saw it as a collection of quotes about walking and travelling. Maybe that’s because I am more of an inside person.
      From the explorer and travel books, I like the classic ‘On the Road’ by Kerouac and especially Nansen’s ‘Farthest North’.
      Keep well
      Klausbernd 🙂

      Like

  16. What a delightful post. As someone who loves books and has from being very young I cannot comprehend a home without books. It is so difficult to walk by a bookshop and not go in! And your home library is stunning! You are so lucky to have two Bookfayries to keep all those shelves and books clean and dust free! 📚📗📘📔

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Jude

      Many of the big libraries have ghosts, and we have Bookfayries in our private library.
      We can’t pass by a bookshop without having a look inside either.

      Collecting books feels like collecting antiques in the time of digital reading and communication. In a way, it’s eccentric and old-fashioned and we like this image.

      With love from Norfolk to Cornwall
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  17. My dear friends, The Fab Four of Cley!!! I so enjoyed this post about the love of books — it spoke right to the heart of me. This line made me smile: “We love books, live surrounded by books, write and collect books.” Yes! That’s exactly how I feel. I was raised by a father whose insatiable need to be surrounded by books defined so much of my life. Whenever we traveled to a new city or town, the very first stop was always a used bookstore!

    Reading your post reminded me how much joy, beauty, and sometimes madness there is in loving books deeply. I laughed at the image of Kb beaming with joy over a book about Inuit knots (what a treasure!) while Dina-Hanne tears her hair out over the lack of shelf space. It’s so familiar — that sweet tension between discovery and discipline.

    Now that I’m living in a more compact space myself, the question of how to curate books is a daily tug-of-war between reason and romance. Which books stay? Which ones are let go — and can we even let them go without guilt? I’ve tried to apply the principle of keeping only the books that “sing” to me, but it’s not easy. Every spine on my shelf whispers a memory or a promise.

    You have the most amazing posts. Dina-Hanne – I relished every photograph. I could smell that wonderful scent of books through the screen.

    Sending much love and many hugs to our dear friends, The Fab Four of Cley!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Our dear friend ❤ ❤

      We grew up in families of booklovers as well. Kbs grandfather resided in his ‘Gentleman’s Room’ filled with books behind glass doors. Eugen, the Grandfather, liked encyclopedias. Whenever there was a question, he opened the glass doors and got one of the big books out to look it up. It was like a ritual. His books became the aura of an all-knowing oracle.
      Next to his encyclopedias, he had a beautiful collection of all the works of Nietzsche and Feuerbach.

      This was all before the internet. Books were kind of holy then. You could touch them. They were real. Nowadays, books are becoming more and more virtual. This destroys their aura of something special and precious.

      Collecting books and space – an endless struggle. A struggle that makes you aware of which books you really like.

      We know, dear Rebecca, that we have a similar attitude to books, which is one of the bases of our friendship.
      Sending you lots of love and hugs to Vancouver

      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • My father loved encyclopedias!!! The heavier they were, the better!! I believe that when a family loves book they are unlocking endless possibilities. I am so grateful for our connection.

      Liked by 2 people

  18. Fab Four of Cley,
    After reading this post, I was finally moved to research Klausbernd more thoroughly. I bow to your knowledge and expertise, sir! I feel the same way about books, I adore bookstores like those you’ve shown and cringe whenever my better-half asks when I will start to thin my books out.
    I hope you are all having good health and fine weather!
    GP

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear GP

      First of all, Kb is more or less healed and can move again as he could before his fall.

      Thank you very much for your kind words. Kb was lucky to get a wide and decent education. It has partly to do with the year of his birth. He belongs to the first generation of German intellectuals after the war. WW II produced a big lack of intellectuals, because most of them died in the war. His generation was very much promoted.
      And Dina and Kb both come from bookish families.

      We know this never-ending problem, the wife says ‘reduce your books‘, and we find great books all the time. Well, life needs a certain tension. This one is harmless.

      With warm greetings from the cold sea
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Yes, the love of books presents challenges. They are like old friends and it is very hard to say goodbye to any one of them. I noted in your post the discussion of the several ways there are to organize them. My personal favorite is the color method. We have several rooms where that is exactly what has been done. We are very pleased with the results. I hope you have a great week F4oC

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear John

      If one has a catalogue of one’s books (we use iBookshelf – it only works for about 8.000 books – and Libib) the most aesthetic way of organising books is by colour. But we now use the Dewey Decimal Classification – but simplified for our needs. If we don’t remember author or title of a book the Dewey System makes you find it by just going to the shelf.

      Indeed, books are like old friends with all the love and hate.

      Thank you very much for your comment
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Tanja

      Books are like friends – but like problematic friends. They want to be read, but our time is limited, and they need space, and this is limited as well.

      Thank you very much for commenting
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  22. Ihr teilt diese Liebe mit vielen Menschen.

    Mir fällt ein Freund ein, der seine seit mehr als 30 jahre gemietete Wohnung nicht auflösen kann, obwohl er längst eine neue hat.

    in 30 jahren hatte er unzählige bücher und zeitungsausschnitte gesammelt, über jedwedes thema.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Wir können uns vorstellen, dass das nicht leicht war. Und fühlt es sich jetzt besser an?

      Wir wissen eigentlich nicht richtig, warum wir so viele Bücher horten. Es fühlt sich gut an, ist aber eigentlich unnötig. Freud nannte das Analfixierung, naja die positive Seite der Analfixierung.

      Vielen Dank fürs Kommentieren
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Lieber Gerhard

      wir können uns vorstellen, dass das nicht leicht war. Fühlt es sich jetzt besser an?

      Eigentlich wissen wir nicht genau, warum wir so viele Bücher messiehaft horten müssen. Freud führte solches Verhalten auf Analfixierung zurück. Siri nennt es ‘die positive Seite der Analfixierung’.

      Mit herzlichen Grüßen vom Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  24. You truly have lots of books, lovely. As long as you have the space for it. I do love bookshops, I could live in a bookshop really 😊 well you are lucky you are living with so many books. Enjoy 👍

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you, dear Ute.

      We have had enough space, but we are on our limits now – unfortunately or fortunately, who knows.

      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  25. What a beautifully entertaining blog post! Ah, books! There is no such thing as too many books… only insufficient shelving. When the house is filled with shelving, I suppose you will have to move into the garden shed. Lovely post!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you very much for your kind words 🙏 🙏

      Actually, our garden shed, rather a summer house, is quite cosy. Of course, we have bookshelves there as well.

      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  26. kunstbücher und kataloge und deren ordnung.

    manche bücher kann man durchaus thematisch ordnen. Aber ein picasso, oelze oder Wols kann man je nach phase so oder so einordnen.

    in der musik ist es ähnlich: je nach zusammenarbeit ergibt sich die schwierigkeit ihn einzuordnen. Besser ist es da, den künstler mehrfach zu führen, also vielleicht 3x die eine Cd zu erwerben.

    auch bei filmen: bestimmter schauspieler, Regisseur, produzent, Genre.

    es scheint mir daher unmöglich, eine vernünftige ordnung aufzubauen.

    soweit ich weiss, wird “everymusicatonce”, das alle produzenten, musiker und stile aufführte und schon vor längerer zeit 7 Millionen musiker anführte, nicht mehr fortgeführt. Es war irre darin nal auf Forschungsreise zu gehen.

    ich selbst habe mind 10 jahre alle möglichen stile gesammelt, ausser schlager und blasmusik.😉

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Wir sammeln nur Bücher, haben aber auch eine relativ große Sammlung von Kunstbüchern. Kataloge sammeln wir nur, wenn sie eine ISBN Nummer besitzen.

      Kunstbücher ordnen wir alphabetisch nach dem Künstler, den sie behandeln, nicht nach ihrem Autor. Übrigens folgen wir diesem Prinzip bei Biographien ebenso. Ein Problem, dass unser eines Bibliotheksprogramm iBookshelf nur ein Stichwort bei der Katalogisierung zulässt. Wir benutzen Libib, das in dieser Hinsicht besser ist, da es viele Stichworte = Suchbegriffe zuläßt.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Kataloge kaufte ich ab dem Zeitpunkt nicht mehr, als es nicht einmal mehr zur schnellen Durchsicht des Materials reichte.
      Ein Punkt war auch, daß ich bei Hopper in Köln entdeckt hatte, daß die Originale kräftigere Farben hatten.
      Ich bedauere, daß ich heutzutage auch weniger Bücker kaufe als eigentlich von mir gewünscht. Selten, daß ich die Käufe wirklich lese.

      Für meine Fotos bräuchte ich EIGENTLICH ein Ordnungssystem. Meine Nikon hat die 500.000 Aufnahmen überschritten, seit 2017 fotografiere ich fleissig.

      Liked by 1 person

  28. Compliments on your library. Now that you mention a stepladder, I’ve been wanting to find one, but antiquarians around here don’t seem to have any… Maybe I could have one made… Hmmm. 🤔

    Enjoy your books…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  29. Thank you for the smile you have given me for the day. I have lived in a library since I taught myself to read at age five – back then, in Estonia, proper school began at 8! I was unusually lucky – my mother had worked as the Financial Controller of Estonia’s biggest book publishing firm for years. When she married, moved Tartu>Tallinn and had me, her ‘superannuation’ consisted of one copy of each book published for ever and ever (until WWII took care of that!). So, it was a case of our home looking like yours together with high library ladders and the copies of those not fitting in in piles all over the house 🙂 ! A lifetime later they still grace every available shelf and table wherever is home. . . part of me . . .

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Dear Eha

      We also have several wooden ladders in our library to reach the upper shelves. Unfortunately, on one shelf high up in the hall is the medieval literature, which Kb likes very much. Do you know ‘The Library of Babel’ by Borges? A short story for booklovers.

      Kb got from his publishers all the books he wanted for free for twenty or more years.

      You were very lucky to have such a mother.

      Thanks for your comment
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      P.S.

      My book about dreamsmbols is published by Tänapäev Publishers, Tallinn, ISBN 9789949276073

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you for your reply, especially about your book being published in Tallinn. Curiosity made me do some homework – I was absolutely shocked but delighted by the number of publishers working in my birth country at the moment. Also looked up my Mom’s erstwhile workplace – ‘Loodus’ was by far the biggest, it seems almost only, publishing coy in the country last century. Well, the Baltic people read and read some more . . . probably the long dark winters 🙂 !

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Eha

      That could well be that people read more in countries with longer dark periods.

      Percentagewise, people read a lot in Iceland. But people read most in Luxembourg, followed by Estonia and Denmark in Europe. It depends on how one defines ‘reading most’. In other statistics, people read most in Estonia. People read the least in Romania, Italy and Cyprus.

      Keep well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  30. This is a true book lover’s post 😊. The opening set of photos is beautiful ~ Klausbernd looks perfect within his element, and this is such an impressive library. One thing about having a library so open and inviting is that you will always have an old ‘friend’ to turn to when the mood hits. I miss this feeling, and as I look at my Kindle, which is wonderful and I don’t know how I’d get along without it… But my heart is taken with this post. Your library, and then the beautiful and diverse photos of the life of different libraries and book stores makes me understand that nothing can take away from the feel of a book, the holding of a book, and perhaps most important browsing and browsing, shelf after shelf, not quite sure what you are looking for until to you find it. This post is perfect for me this morning ~ thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Randall

      Actually, it’s irrational that we collect real books. When we changed our places of residence as often as our shirts, to paraphrase Brecht, a kindle would have been the solution. But we gave up libraries, and later we travelled by ship across the Atlantic with many trunks of books. We need the printed book. Most of our books are really OUR books, having comments and underlinings.

      I suppose that’s typical for my generation; we were brought up with books. Kindle came later, at a time when we were already hooked on books.
      Of course, the Kindle reader has a lot of advantages when you are travelling. Most of my friends who read books on Kindle have most of these books in a print version as well.

      We love audiobooks when we travel, when doing kitchen work or cleaning and while driving. We noticed, that some books with a complicated syntax are more fun to hear than to read. We especially noticed that at Thomas Mann’s ‘Joseph and his Brothers’ (his opus magnus). It is delightful to listen to his ironic style, but not easy to read.

      Thank you very much for your comment 🙏 🙏
      and happy reading in whatever way
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  31. I have long had a love affair with books and libraries–whether personal or communal. I think book shops count too. Thank you for your delightful post that feeds my book loving soul.📚💜

    Liked by 1 person

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  33. Als ich meinen Mann kennenlernte, lebte er in einer Wohnung mit einem sehr großen Alt-Berliner Zimmer. Dieses Zimmer wurde durch eine Stollenwand in 2/3 Wohnraum und 1/3 Schlafraum getrennt. Diese Stollenwand hat alle Umzüge überlebt und wird von uns heiß und innig geliebt, auch wenn sie völlig aus der Zeit gefallen zu scheint. Der untere Teil besteht aus Schubkästen, alles darüber sind Regale (bis auf zwei Schrankteile). Und auf sämtlichen Regalen stehen Bücher und ein klein bisschen Dekokram. Allerdings sind wir weit von eurer Bibliothek entfernt. Wir haben uns darauf geeinigt, die Bücher nach Themen zu sortieren und innerhalb der Themen nach Größe/Höhe. Müsste ich das bei euch machen, würde ich ebenfalls nach Themen sortieren, bei der großen Anzahl dann innerhalb des Gengres aber alphabetisch ordnen. Mittlerweile haben wir aber rund die Hälfte des ehemaligen Bestandes weggegeben.
    Liebe Grüße,
    Elvira

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Liebe Elvira

      ja, genauso ordnen wir unsere Bücher, nachdem wir Vieles versuchten. Zu Beginn hatten wir quasi eine dynamische Bibliothek. Immer wenn Kb ein Buch schrieb, stellten wir alle Bücher, die für dieses Schreiben wichtig waren, zusammen. So änderte sich etwa jedes Jahr die Ordnung unserer Bibliothek. Da dies äußerst unpraktisch war, wurde diese Ordnung durch die ästhetische nach Farben abgelöst. Eine Erneuerung, die Dina mitbrachte. Und nun ordnen wir alphanumerisch nach dem Dewey System wie es auch öffentliche Bibliothek machen.

      Wir haben hier wesentliche Bibliotheken in den riesigen Landhäusern Blickling und Felbrigg Hall. Als wir die Museumswärter in beiden Bibliotheken fragten, nach welchem Prinzip die Werke geordnet seien, konnten erstaunlicher Weise beide keine Auskunft geben.

      Vielen Dank fürs Kommentieren
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Vielen herzlichen Dank, liebe Susanne. Schön wieder von dir zu lesen.

      Wir teilen auch noch die Liebe für Hörbücher.
      Toll, dass dir Dinas Fotos gefallen.

      Mit lieben Grüßen vom sonnigen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Lieber Klausbernd,
      ich versuche mir immer die Zeit zu nehmen, eure Beiträge zu lesen. Nicht immer schreibe ich Kommentare.
      5 Jahre arbeite ich nun schon an meiner Doktorarbeit, ich dachte, ich sei nun fertig, muss jedoch trotz gegenteiliger Absprache die Diss um 100 Seiten kürzen. Das ist anstrengender als sie zu schreiben.
      Liebe Grüße ans sonnige Meer aus dem sonnigen Berlin, Wedding,
      Susanne

      Liked by 2 people

    • Liebe Susanne,
      einen Text sinnvoll zu kürzen, finde ich auch eine Herausforderung. Ich musste mal ein Manuskript für den Druck um die Hälfte kürzen. Das fand ich derart fürchterlich, dass ich aus dem Vertrag trotz drohender Konventionalstrafe aussteigen wollte. – Aber letztlich habe ich doch gekürzt.
      Mit lieben Grüßen
      Klausbernd 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  36. I feel your pain. I share your addiction. Like you, e-readers just don’t do it for me – I need the physical heft of a book in my hand. Bookshops are my temples. Books are such beautiful objects – but who knew thoughts, ideas and imagination could weigh so much! I will visit one day soon with a gift. So please make a little room on one of your heaving shelves. Best wishes from our Fine City. Laurence and Jackie

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  37. Lovely set of shots. Hmm living in a library doesn’t sound too bad! I tried to alphabetize my bookcases once, but gave up having to constantly rearrange things whenever we got a new book. We actually picked up a few books this weekend from our local library which was having a sale.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Linda

      That’s the problem with the alphabetical order. What helps, at least for a short time, is to fill the shelves only a third so that you have space to move. But after a while, these spaces are all gone. We have no idea how big libraries solve this problem.

      Thanks for your comment
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Liebe Martina,

      das hörten wir schon öfter, dass die Kinder nicht an den Buchsammlungen der Eltern interessiert sind. Ist das nun Fortschritt oder Niedergang der Kultur? Naja, es kommt auf die Perspektive an. Siri und Selma sind große Booklover und Leseratten. Wir haben sie dahingehend, mehr unbewusst als bewusst, erzogen. Kindesmissbrauch 😉

      Es ist eine gute Tat, seine Bücher irgendeiner Institution zu spenden. Wären da nicht unsere beiden Buchfeen, würden wir sie einer Bibliothek hier spenden. Wir bloggten vor einiger Zeit darüber ‘How to Die with Books’.

      Danke für deinen Kommentar und liebe Grüße von uns allen
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Lieber Klausbernd, recht herzlichen Dank für deine Ideen:) Ich finde es eigentlich noch wichtig, dass man nicht nur wissenschaftliche Bücher liest, sondern das Herz auch ein bisschen involviert!
      Dein Vorschlag bezüglich Bücherspende finde ich sehr gut.
      Bis bald und lieben Gruss Martina

      Liked by 2 people

    • Liebe Martina,

      die Romantiker sind doch wieder sehr aktuell.
      Als Jugendlicher war ich begeistert von Goethes alchemistischen Roman “Die Wahlverwandschaften“. An dem Roman sieht man übrigens, dass Goethe viel gehemmter als Banks war, der offen über seine sexuellen Abenteuer auf Haiti berichtete.

      Liebe Grüße
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  41. We moved cross country about 20 years back, and our books and cases became an issue that had to be addressed because of weight and cost of shipping. We downsized to only a few and established a relationship with our local library. I’m usually there a couple of times a week returning or picking up. I couldn’t live without books, but I’ve learned to live without owning them. 🙂 Happy reading!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Judy

      Yours is another way of living with books.

      Unfortunately, we have to drive for a good library to Norwich which takes nearly an hour one way. But there is an excellent library in the Forum. It’s the most used library in the whole of England.

      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Well, well, er würde grinsend sein Nabelchakra streichelnd “don’t get attached” murmeln.
      ABER, in buddhistischen Klöstern gab’s große Bibliotheken …

      Alles Gute
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Ich hab eine kleine illustre Sammlung von Publikationen über die erstaunliche Inuit-Kunst, aber größtenteils von denen selber publiziert (Inuit-Kooperativen), was ich sehr gut und wichtig finde. Leider schmilzt denen aber der Permafrostboden unter den Füssen stetig weg, die Zukunft daher wirklich sehr ungewiss.

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Roberta

      We now mostly collect collector items books, and priced English, Scandinavian and German fiction. We enjoy very much nicely set and illuminated books.

      How do you organise your books? Do you have a special order?

      Thanks 🙏 🙏 Happy enjoying your collection
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • My books are ordered by genre so all the non-fiction books about animals are together, all the poetry, mythology, classics, etc. I find that works better for me than by author. I also like beautiful books with colour illustrations and often buy collector’s item books. I have several second edition famous books and one signed first edition.

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Roberta

      If you have the chance to come to Bologna/Italy, there the world’s biggest book fair for beautiful books takes place every year. It’s a book fair specialised in children’s books, but you’ll find a lot of books beautifully illustrated there.

      All the best
      Klausbernd 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you very much, dear Amy 🙏 🙏

      The nicest old libraries and bookshops we found in Dublin, and one of the most modern libraries in Oslo.

      Keep well and happy
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  46. Du liebe Güte! So viele Meinungen zur Büchrflut.
    Eure Bücherwelten, lieber Klausbernd, sind faszinierend, auch wenn ich alle Seufzer nachvollziehen kann, die damit verbunden sind.

    Als wir vor gut einem Jahr (freiwillig und aus Überzeugung) vom Haus in eine Wohnung umzogen, trennten wir uns von etwa einem Drittel des Buchbestandes. Viele “schwere” Romane mussten eine neue Heimat finden. Was ich mir als Herzensfundus erhalten habe, sind die weit über hundert Lyrikbände. Dabei kam mir natürlich der Umstand zugute, dass Gedichtbände meistens sehr schmal sind, nicht so viel wiegen und auch weniger Platz beanspruchen.

    Es ist wohl wie bei euch. Man trennt sich sehr, sehr ungern von Büchern, die man mochte und über die Jahrzehnte hortete. :–)
    Eine patente Lösung für dieses Problem zeichnet sich nicht ab. 🙂

    Euch viel Freude an den Buchschätzen und herzlichen Gruss, Brigitte

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Habe vielen Dank, liebe Brigitte,

      voll blöd, dass wir keine Lyrikbändchen sammeln. Und nun kommt es noch schlimmer, wir lieben dicke Romane und die epische Breite. Alles ungeschickt, aber es ist nun mal eben so. Da warst du viel schlauer.

      Mit den Büchern ist es wie mit Kindern, obwohl sie Probleme machen, lieben wir sie. Allerdings tauschen wir ständig Bücher aus. Aus Platzgründen geben wir viele auf, da wir ständig viele neue Bücher bekommen. Kb liebt es, Bibliothekar zu spielen.

      Mit lieben Grüßen vom kleinen Dorf am großen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  47. Ich trenne mich sehr ungern von Büchern. Aber manchmal muss es eben doch sein, weil der Platz für weitere Bücher fehlt. Und, Klausbernd, mir geht es wie Dir, kaum habe ich mich von einem Buch getrennt, hätte ich unbedingt dieses gebraucht. Ja, aus der Liebe zu Büchern kann manchmal wirklich Hassliebe werden. Meine Bücher sind übrigens alphanumerisch geordnet.

    Superschöne Bilder wieder einmal, liebe Hanne.

    Einen lieben Gruß schickt Euch die Silberdistel aus einem Haus voller Bücher

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Liebe Silberdistel

      wir fanden auch die alphanumerische Ordnung letztendlich die praktischte. Nicht umsonst ordnen weltweit Bibliotheken ihre Bücher nach diesem System.

      Sich von Büchern zu trennen, ist eine Schande. Trotz des neo-puritanistischen Rufs nach Reduktion aufs Wesentlichste, gilt das für Bücher nicht. Wir finden grundsätzlich Minimalismus gut, aber nicht bei Büchern.

      Liebe Grüße von uns Bücherfans zu dir Bücherfan
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  49. Ah, what a wonderful problem to have too many books and have to sort them. Your home library is beautiful. Thank you for all the wonderful photos of book shops and libraries. Big smiles here!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  54. You have my goal library; books everywhere! I’m not certain one can ever have too many books. A friend recently had to endure the same process you went through, culling his library as he moved to assisted care. Thousands of books, literally, had to find new homes, though I grabbed a few favorites first. Thanks for sharing.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Brad

      We absolutely agree, one can’t have too many books. But too many books for one’s shelf space. If there are books stacked on top of each other and in front of each other on your shelves, it becomes difficult to find and use them. There was a time Kb was constantly building shelves.

      Happy reading
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  55. Dear Klausbernd, you live in a paradise surrounded by books and book faries! It’s a challenge to organize the books and I’m glad you found a sensible way to do it among your family.

    When I finished my studies in Seattle Pacific Univ. ages ago, I drove by myself from Seattle to Los Angeles, California (1,135 miles). I had nine boxes of books in the trunk and backseats and didn’t have too many of other things. The nine boxes of books kept growing in the following years. There’s a local bookstore in downtown Portland, Oregon that houses a million books. https://www.powells.com/bookstore/powells-city-of-books/ It’s easy to get lost there. I have to read the color codes to find my way around.

    My husband’s sister and her husband came to visit us and we took them there. I told them the Rare Books were in a special room and it needed a code to enter and only 14 people at a time to be in that room. By the time we agreed to meet, they only visited one out of nine rooms in three levels.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Miriam

      We heard of Powell’s bookstore in Portland. Unfortunately, we have never been there. We lived for many years in Montreal.

      Moving from Montreal to England with several thousand books was quite a job. We had 30 special boxes built, which travelled with us by ship. Fortunately, we got that paid.

      Wishing you an easy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  56. Made for you – this challenge! Sorry for being so late, but life happens…and I try to hang on.

    Books was a must for me for so many years – I guess they still are a must, because you don’t stop loving old friends just like that! Your library looks wonderful, and something like that used to be a dream for me. But, since I stopped teaching and had been over worked for years – I just could not read other than poetry and shorter texts. I am slowly recovering, but can only read poetry, history and biographies. But so far so good. Right now I am reading David Attenboroughs´ thoughts on life on this planet….

    What a wonderful life you have! So good to hear you are recovering too.

    Ann-Christine

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Ann-Christine

      Kb has a special reading routine. At day time he reads non-fiction. He just finished ‘The Wager’ by David Grann. A nautical book of wrecking, mutiny and survival, he really liked. At night, he is now reading a funny novel, ‘Stargazing’ by Peter Hill, that makes him smile. These are memoirs of a kind of hippie lighthouse keeper.
      Before that we all read ‘Orbital’ by Samantha Harvey, a short novel you would really like, we suppose (if you haven’t read this already).

      Yes, this was a topic made for us. Thank you very much.
      Wishing you a relaxing weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  57. Dear Klausbernd, I can’t imagine moving several thousand books. I’m glad they’re with you. My friend had taken lessons from a well known piano teacher in Hong Kong. After her teacher passed away, she requested for the piano and had it shipped to London. She still has it.

    Have a relaxing weekend! 😊😊😊😊

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  59. C’é un ordine segreto. I libri non puoi metterli a caso sugli scaffali. L’altro giorno ho riposto Cervantes accanto a Tolstoj e ho pensato: sa vicino ad Anna Karenina c’é Don Chisciotte, di sicuro lui farà di tutto per salvarla. Ottime foto, complimenti.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  60. Oh – nun ist etwas mit meinem Kommentar schief gegangen… Oder waren das etwa Siri und Selma?
    Auf jeden Fall hatte ich geschrieben, wie schön ich diesen Beitrag fand, wie sehr ich mich darin wiederfinde und wie unglaublich hübsch Eure Büchertauschschränkchen ist.

    Einen wunderschönen Sonntag Euch!

    Liked by 1 person

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