Picking up (somewhat) where Michael’s last post left off, Idlewild Books, a new travel bookstore in NYC, has devised an innovative shelving technique for its shop:
“I was in a chain bookstore and realized I would have to go to five different sections to get what I needed—a travel guide, a map, a language book, a novel,” he noted. “At Idlewild, everything will be shelved by country, and in the case of the United States, by state—that way people will be able to browse according to the place of their interest.”
Del Vecchio emphasized that he believes literature about a country—be it a novel or a political biography—can be just as useful as a guidebook. His product mix will be at least 40% armchair travel titles: “Guidebooks you really can buy almost anywhere,” he explained, “but books on politics and culture are often much harder to find. Our section on Turkey might have guides, maps, a history of the Blue Mosque, a biography of Ataturk, and novels by Pamuk and others.” Graham Greene’s novels won’t be shelved in the U.K. section, said Del Vecchio, but in Cuba and Mexico, where the books are set.
Reminds me of a more permanent (and useful) version of what Abode Books of San Francisco did when it allowed artist Chris Cobb to rearrange the books in their shop by color:
Further reading? See: LUNACY AND THE ARRANGEMENT OF BOOKS by Terry Belanger.
Meanwhile, Boing Boing has an image of one of the most beautiful bookcases I’ve seen in a long time. Perfect for organizing your books however you see fit.