The Bookcases of Bert

I love books, and so I feel it has been rather remiss of me to have barely mentioned them here.  As I am still making my way in this here blogging world, I thought a glimpse at what was on my shelves may reveal a little more about me.  (As I type that I wonder what on earth I am doing!)

This is my first, biggest and bestest bookcase - shush don’t tell the others.  I have owned it for over 20 years and I do believe my Agatha Christie’s and Chalet School books have always been on those particular shelves.

Top Shelf

At the front are Arthur Ransome, C. S. Lewis and L. M. Montgomery.  Hidden away behind are an assortment of history books, some with a university theme (BA Hons Ancient and Medieval History btw), some not.

Shelf Two

What fun I had the day I arranged my Agatha Christie books by cover design, and yes, I do have all 80+ of them.  In front now live Ngaio Marsh and Dorothy L. Sayers.

Shelf Three

A miss match of a complete set of Wisden Almanac’s since 1994 (covering the 1993 season, the year I started watching cricket), Harry Potter, my Dimsie Dorita Fairlie Bruce’s, and my Father’s A. A. Milne books from when he was a child.

Shelf Four

My complete set of Chalet School paperbacks by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer.  I love these books and I have met so many fabulous people because of them.  In front proudly stand, in a sweep of Penguin Classic Crime green, my favourite authors of the moment;  Margery Allingham, Josephine Tey and Edmund Crispin.

Shelf Five

This is another random shelf, mostly from my teenage years and of the theme ‘other favourite authors who don’t write crime or books for children.’  These include Mary Renault, writer of (if you had to make me choose) my favourite book The Last Of The Wine.  Others of note are the Merlin trilogy by Mary Stewart and a Pendle Witches theme.  This comprises both non-fiction and fiction, with Mist Over Pendle by Robert Neill needing a mention.  Oh and there is a little Douglas Adams to mix it up a bit!

Bottom Shelf

This is the taller shelf, and therefore an assortment of non-fiction, most of which I have had for a very long time and am not entirely sure why I still have it.  Oh and a few random things I made in Art lessons at school!

The next bookcase is the Chalet School bookcase, which only contains hardbacks and Girls Gone By Publishers (GGBP) paperbacks.  At this point, I think it is only fair to warn a few certain readers that the next picture is pretty   Sadly neither collection is as yet complete.

(Yes, I only noticed after I took the photo that Peggy was out of order, you may rest assured she has now been put back in her proper place!)

The final bookcase in my bedroom at my parents was a present this Christmas (which I received on Boxing Day because they somehow forgot it!)  However, it was still a cause for celebration.  It has cleared up so much space in my old bookcase and just look at all that space on the bottom shelf still to fill! 

Top Shelf

This contains my Chalet School fill-ins  and all other Elinor M Brent-Dyer books; for example such joys as the La Rochelle books.

Middle Shelf

This houses the other part of my Dorita Fairlie Bruce collection and all my other Girlsown books, including Gwendoline Courtney, Clare Mallory and Josephine Elder.

For fun I thought I’d throw in a picture of what it looked liked when my big bookcase had to be emptied when my bedroom was re-decorated!

My last bookcase is in my flat in the Don and contains an interesting variety of stuff.  This case belonged to my Grandparents, and I never look at it without thinking of my Grandpa and his Thomas The Tank Engine books which lived happily in here. 

Top shelf

Other than my allygator collection (before I was Bert I was Ally) this houses useful things such books on Latin and all my maps. (I love maps, I may have to blog about this love soon.)

Middle shelf

This is a mixture of extremely useful cookbooks and my To Read pile.

Bottom shelf

In which I prove I own some DVDs!

So, over all I think this shows that the books which I choose to keep (rather different to the books I choose to read) were all written rather a while ago, that I have a fondness for female authors and I do love a collection.

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