How to arrange books

12 Clever Ways to Organize Your Book Collection

If you’ve been in the habit of carelessly cramming your books wherever there’s an extra inch of shelf space, it’s time to step up your organization game.

A solid book organization system doesn’t just make it easier to find what you’re looking for — it also makes you more likely to actually pick up a book and read.

Organizing your favorite reads doesn’t need to be complicated or time-consuming, either. We’ve rounded up a list of 12 easy, smart ways to organize your books — no professional librarian experience is necessary.

Pro Tip: Before you organize your books, you may want to declutter. Here’s how to decide which books to keep or get rid of.

1. Separate your hardcovers and paperbacks

Flickr/Colby Gutierrez-Kraybill

Divide your hardbacks and paperbacks for a cleaner, more streamlined look on your bookshelves. It’s also a great way to organize if you’re a visual person.

2. Arrange your books by color

Honey We’re Home

This organization strategy is ideal if you’re the type of reader who tends to associate certain stories with their covers, or if you’re just really into the idea of statement bookshelves.

The best part about this method is that you can get super creative — stack your colors, try an ombré pattern, or opt for a rainbow look.

Pro Tip: If you like color-coordinating your books, try doing it to your wardrobe, too.

3. Don’t be afraid to stack books

Flickr/EvelynGiggles

Keeping all your books in neat rows is a thing of the past. If you want a handful of select books to stand out, stack ‘em. You can stack by theme, cover, or size, and keep stacks on their own or use them to break up a row. There’s no wrong way to do it.

4. Organize books by genre or subject

Flickr/Alan Levine

Group your mysteries together, your travel memoirs, your 18-century English literature novels, your cookbooks, and so on.

Organizing by genre and subject makes it a cinch to find the right book for your current mood and interests, so you’ll know exactly where to look when you need to satisfy your World War II curiosity or want a little romance story to spice up your Saturday night.

5. Display your favorite books front and center

Flickr/Dan Taylor-Watt

Instead of lumping your favorite books in with all their mediocre peers (then frantically scanning the shelves every time you want to reread them), display them front and center where they can shine.

Free Bonus: Having trouble fitting your books on your shelves? Check out these 9 creative book storage hacks for small apartments

6. Organize your books alphabetically

Flickr/Sarah J.

Alphabetical organization works best if you remember book titles and author names more than genres and plot points. It’s also ideal if your collection of books is so massive it’s basically a mini library.

Even better than the sense of accomplishment you’ll get from organizing your books alphabetically?

The satisfaction you’ll feel when your friends stop by to borrow a book and know exactly where to find it.

7. Organize your books according to how they made you feel

Maybe some books made you weep with sadness, while others had you laughing aloud to yourself at two in the morning. Maybe you read books so gripping you didn’t leave your couch for hours at a time. Maybe some books inspired you to pursue your passions, while others shattered your innocence. Maybe you read books that changed your life, and others that made no impression at all.

If you tend to have strong emotional responses to books, this organization method is an awesome way to categorize and distinguish what you’ve read.

8. Group together the books you haven’t read yet

Flickr/Brittany Stevens

Gather all the books you haven’t read yet and place them in their own special TBR (To Be Read) section so they don’t get lost among the other titles.

The best part?

You always have a book or two (or maybe five) to reach for when you need a fresh new read.

9. Arrange your books by height and size

Keep books of similar size and height together to give your collection a clean, uncluttered feel. The goal here is to create straight, even lines with the tops of your books — no staggered mountaintop rows allowed.

10. Separate your books by author: contemporary or classic

Ciao Domenica

This method works best if you have a diverse collection of old and new books. We’re talking Stephen King and Toni Morrison types, plus your Fitzgeralds, Austens, and Hemingways.

You can define contemporary and classic however it suits you: living and deceased authors, books written before and after a certain date, or books published in specific time periods.

11. Organize books by the condition of their covers

Flickr/Alan Levine

This is another way to limit visual clutter on your bookshelves. Keep your torn, tattered, and weather-faded books all in one place, and your books with beautiful, well-kept covers in another.

12. Separate fiction and nonfiction

Flickr/George Redgrave

Every bookstore around the world employs this method because it’s simple and classic. Just group fiction books together and store everything else in another spot. Easy.

For all the books you can’t fit on your shelves but don’t want to say goodbye to, use Clutter.

Simply schedule a pickup and pack your stuff. We’ll grab everything from your home and transport it to our secure, temperature-controlled storage facility.

And when you need that box of 1980’s crime novels back, just browse the convenient online photo catalog of your stuff, click the item’s photo, and we’ll deliver it straight to you.

How to Organize Books (Functionally & Aesthetically)

Ashley Knierim

Ashley Knierim is a home decor expert and product reviewer of home products for The Spruce. Her design education began at a young age. She has over 10 years of writing and editing experience, formerly holding editorial positions at Time and AOL.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 01/24/23

Reviewed by

Katherine Picott

Reviewed by Katherine Picott

Katherine is a professional home organizer, certified KonMari consultant, and member of The Spruce's Cleaning and Organizing Review Board. She launched her own professional organizing business, Tidy Milso, in the summer of 2020, to help reorient those feeling overwhelmed with both clutter and disorganization in their homes.

Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board

The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto

Every bibliophile knows the importance of a well-organized book collection. Not only does a system make it easier for you to find your next read, but it is also much more visually appealing. A well-organized bookshelf can become the centerpiece of any living space, and the good news is there are so many different ways you can organize your books (both aesthetically and for function).

Whether you have a massive library or just a few classics you want to show off, we've found some of the best ways to organize any book collection. Click through for our favorite ideas.

01 of 10
Organize by Color

1001kirjaa

One of the most popular ways to organize a bookshelf in your living room is to start by grouping your books together by color. This beautiful glass-fronted library from 1001kirjaa proves that organizing your books by color can be incredibly pleasing to the eye. Some hardcore book lovers may scoff at a bookshelf organized by color, but if you're a reader who tends to memorize covers, this is a great idea.
02 of 10
Pick Modern Shelves

theliteraturearchive

If you want to display a few of your favorite books but don't have the floor space for a full bookcase, consider installing floating shelves. These streamlined shelves from theliteraturearchive appear to almost disappear into the wall, but are incredibly useful for organizing a handful of books. This is a great idea for a small living room, in a bedroom, or above a desk.
03 of 10
Stack Them

hotcocoareads

Don't be afraid of the stack. In a corner or next to a bed, a great book stack can not only add an eclectic, rustic vibe to your space, but it can also allow you to rank books to read next in order. This book stack from hotcocoareads is perfect for lining up your next big reads.
04 of 10
Fill a Basket

organizing_home

In a similar vein, using baskets to organize books is a great idea. Here, organizing_home displays a few favorite kids books on a shelf. This is a great way to set aside your child's current favorites so it's easy to find them. Once they've been read, put them back on the shelf and refill.
05 of 10
Play With Horizontal Stacking

jennareadsbooks

Not all books need to be stacked vertically. We love this corner shelf from jennareadsbooks that features an extensive collection of books, some sitting vertically and others horizontally. This is a great way to create a parquet-like effect to the shelf and break up the rows of books. Add trinkets to the top of the stacks for even more texture.
06 of 10
Mix Them In

nordde_

You don't have to dedicate an entire shelf to books. A more minimalist approach like this one from nordde_ allows you to mix in a few of your favorite books without creating a full-fledged library. Whether you're a Kindle reader or you just don't have space to store hundreds of books, picking a few and displaying them elegantly is a great idea.
07 of 10
Try Alphabetical

a1000xbetter

Now, if you have an extensive collection like this from pictured by a1000xbetter, a real organizational system is a better bet. One of the most common ways to organize an extensive book collection is alphabetically by author's last name. This makes it easy to find exactly what you want to read, quickly.
08 of 10
Organize by Height

sand_between_pages

If you feel a sense of satisfaction from seeing books lined up just right on a shelf, this idea is for you. Here, sand_between_pages arranged books based on height so that books with similar sizes are grouped together. You can also go from largest to smallest, or try largest on the outer ends of the shelf (with the smallest in the middle) for a little more visual interest.
09 of 10
Arrange by Genre

neatnikdc

Another great way to organize a larger collection is by genre. If you have one similar to this one pictured by neatnikdc, you can give yourself a bookshelf makeover by arranging titles based on category. Group mystery novels with other mystery novels, nonfiction with nonfiction, and so on. This is a great idea if you often pick books based on which genre you are in the mood for.
10 of 10
Place Large Books Near the Bottom

squid_and_goose

Sometimes heavy, large books up near the top of a bookshelf can feel messy and unkempt. Here, squid_and_goose, uses the lower shelves to store the largest books which, helps to add balance to the overall space.

Bookshelves: organization secrets | BeautyRobot.

Alphabetical

This is the most obvious way and, probably, familiar from childhood, if not from public libraries, then at least from the school class magazine. Books should be listed by author's last name.

The method is well suited for large book collections: it will be at least approximately clear where to look for a particular book.

But it also has quite a few disadvantages: the series will have to be staged out of order, and the method is suitable only for fiction. Non-fiction books are more often remembered by their title than by their author, and there are often several of them.

If your library is regularly updated, try not to fill the shelves completely so that you can place new volumes in their rightful places.

Genre

Another familiar book sorting method that will be especially good for very large and varied collections. After all, it is illogical to keep mixed poetry, popular science literature and action-packed detective stories. If you distribute books by genre, within each category you can use just alphabetical sorting.

In this case, by genre, I mean a broader concept: you can separately put books of a certain era, children's books, separate domestic authors from foreign ones, and so on.

Focus on the composition of your library: what kind of literature is there most of all, what topics deserve separate shelves?

True, there will definitely be books of related genres that could stand in several places at once, and you just have to decide on which shelves it will be more convenient for you to store them and strangle your inner perfectionist a little.

And it will be very useful for you….

Catalog of books

Of course, this is not directly related to the topic of the article, and yet I want to draw your attention to the convenience of such a list, especially if it is stored in electronic format. You can always quickly see what books you have, in which edition, you can also indicate on which shelf this or that book is located.

I maintain my catalog on the Livelib website, which I told you about in the article “The Most Useful Sites for Readers” - there, in a personal selection, you can select a specific edition of the book and make any note to it.

But you can also use a regular Excel spreadsheet or a Word document, whichever you prefer. In any case, a search will be available, so you can get the information you need quickly and easily.

By series

The next way to sort books, which can be paired with something else, is by publishing series. Now in the book market there are many beautiful series of books with both classics and modern literature. Of course, these editions look best together.

Bookshelves will look neat when books without sorting by appearance look very colorful, because all the volumes are of different colors and different heights.

The disadvantage of this method is that the books of one author may have to be placed in different places in the bookcase: sometimes the works of one writer are published in different series. Either a good memory will help here - in order to always know in which edition you have Crime and Punishment, and in which - The Brothers Karamazov - or the same book catalog that was discussed above.

Fit to size

This method can be used as a base if you still have a small library and just a couple of bookshelves. Otherwise, it can be combined with other sorting principles.

Anyway, if you put together all the tall books, all the mini-editions, narrow books, and so on, you can arrange them more compactly and make more efficient use of space.

In addition, this way the books will look neater.

Stacked

Logic in the distribution of books in places is very important, but we must not forget about aesthetics. Even rows of books look beautiful, but if they are “broken” in neat piles in several places, the library will look even better.

This method also has a practical side: it is more convenient to store small publications, including paperback books, in stacks.

If you put such books in the usual way, there will be a lot of empty space above them, which you will not use in any way, and you can use the space more efficiently in the stack.

Front side

This is another way to “water down” a row of books that you have probably seen in bookstores. One book on the shelf turns its cover to the viewer, the rest stand as usual.

In this way, you can focus on your favorite publications, admire them like paintings.

The space is used wastefully, but the owners of large bookcases with shallow shelves can afford it. On a deep shelf, a book located "face" will be poorly visible.

Another option is to “hide” behind such a book a pile of pocket or narrow format publications. Then the place is not wasted, and your favorite cover is always perfectly visible.

By color

An unusual and effective way to decorate your library is to arrange books by color so that the spines form a rainbow. I think such a bookcase will attract the attention of even your non-reading friends for a long time when they drop by for a visit.

But, of course, finding a certain book in such an arrangement will not be easy. Therefore, the method is best suited for a small library that you yourself have lovingly collected, so remember each volume perfectly “in person”.

If you decide on such an arrangement, having a collection of books of several hundred books, you will simply need a catalog.

Tetris

Alas, it is not always possible to think about beauty and convenience, sometimes space dictates its own rules. There is little space for books, but there are many books themselves. Of course, in this situation it will be especially useful to sort out your books and say goodbye to those that are no longer needed: you didn’t like it, you didn’t want to read it, books at once, and so on.

But speaking of storage, try to use every centimeter of space on the shelves without damaging them. Sort books by size first so that the rows and stacks are even.

Use the space above the rows of books to accommodate thinner stacks of titles, and you can place bulky titles under the books. If the books are in two rows, and there is still room on the edge of the shelf, one or two volumes can be perpendicularly placed between the rows. In general, nothing can be done if there is not enough space, we recall one of the most famous electronic games - Tetris.

Separate Unread

Unless you're one of those titans of the spirit who can buy a new book only after reading the previous one, you probably have some unread copies in your collection. It would be wise to give them a separate shelf (or many shelves, if you are as good at keeping yourself in hand as I am). Then it will be much more convenient to choose what to read next, and no book bought on the day of the sale at the book market will be forgotten or lost.

Stacks of unread

I have a lot of unread books, no less than the ones I have read. Therefore, I initially store them on the same shelves, but I put the read books, and put the unread ones in piles. This is also very visual and convenient, while the sorting of books by genre does not go astray - I immediately put the purchased book in its rightful place. However, this method is convenient only if there is still plenty of space in the bookcase. For several years the system worked successfully, but now it is already difficult for me to either squeeze a book into a pile, or put it down when I have read it.

Spine to the wall

I saw this extremely unusual method on the ABC Friends channel. Arina and Polina, the authors of this channel, once staged a real revolution on the shelves and put all the books with a cut to the viewer so that not a single title could be seen. This was done as an experiment, so that the owner of the library would choose a book for blind reading, almost at random (almost - because some books can still be recognized). But aesthetically, such a library looks unexpected and interesting.

I think this look will be appreciated by adherents of visual minimalism who do not want to give up paper books, but do not really like the look of colorful book spines. And books with a colored cut will be a great bright accent.

But, of course, this method will not work if you often try to find a particular volume on a shelf.

How convenient it is to arrange books in the apartment

Under the ceiling and under the bed, by the color of the spines or on the "floating" shelves - finding the right place for bookshelves is not so difficult!

Do you need a library at home? The answer to this question knows no compromises: supporters of technological progress believe that it is more reasonable to store literature in electronic format and save square meters, and retrogrades are sure that there will be no comfort in the house without bookshelves.

Contrary to stereotypes that the home library eats up a lot of space, it is quite possible to make storage systems compact and aesthetically appealing. To understand exactly how, we offer a selection of the best ideas from around the world.

MONOLOKO design

Russia: praise for the rhombus
What if we play with the geometry of space and rotate the library at an angle of 45 degrees? An interesting technique was implemented in one of the suburban projects by the Russian architect Maxim Kashin: bookshelves are made in the form of rhombuses and combined with a TV console. The space below it is not wasted - the lower tier also houses part of the family library.

Alfredo Arias photo

Spain: laying on the side
A cool life hack on how to place as many books as possible in a small area can be borrowed from a Spanish project: the owner of the apartment, a big book lover, placed them not vertically, but horizontally. Plus reception - the ability to place more books without leaving gaps. The downside is that the required volume from the lower tier is quite difficult to get, so we advise you to arrange the books according to the degree of demand: let what you really read and reread be at the top.

Hudson Interior Design

USA: All the Colors of the Rainbow
If you own a large collection of essays and love order, try arranging your books by the color of their spines. This method is suitable for those who know their own library well and will not forget that a volume of Pushkin should be looked for in the burgundy part of the collection. But the feeling of a color explosion from such an arrangement is ensured: bright shades of books will enliven even the most austere interior.

SEE ALSO…
Read fashionably: Turning a bookcase into an art object

Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto

Italy: strictly vertical
The small area of the apartment is no reason to abandon the idea of collecting books. Even in the studio, most likely, you will want to mount a zoning partition - it can be used to store books. In our Italian example, there is a shallow niche in the partition: it helps to place books as compactly as possible.

Olga Chernenko / White & Black Design Studio

Russia: books spines back
Some of us, on the contrary, are annoyed by variegation — especially if the library is in the bedroom, where you want to surround yourself with calm shades. In this family bedroom, designed by Russian designer Olga Chernenko, the volumes are placed back to back: the owners find the right book according to a pre-made scheme.

READ ABOUT THE PROJECT WITH PHOTO…
Houzz tour: Neoclassical for two on the 27th floor

Denmark: variety of genres
High demands are placed on a modern library: it must not only accommodate literary baggage, but also decorate the interior. If he lacks dynamics, modules of different sizes and orientations will help to “stir up” the situation.

The rear walls of the modules can also be different in color and texture, as in our example from Denmark, where some of the backs were left in white to match the main interior shade, and several modules were supplemented with wood effect panels.

Interiorismo LTZ

Spain: how to beat a pylon
If there is an uncomfortable load-bearing pylon in the room, try to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. Between the column and the wall, you can place several open horizontal shelves that will not interfere with natural light from penetrating into the remote corners of the room.

Denmark: egg cupboard
At first glance, it seems that a cupboard resembling either an egg or a number is a purely decorative feature. In fact, curved shelves are no less functional than straight ones, and exactly the same number of books placed on a slight slope can be placed on them. If you ever feel like repeating the technique, think of a use for the hole in the middle - a vertical poster or painting will fit in well.

Núria Moreras

Spain: a library in the wall
In search of an optimal layout, owners sometimes block out a separate part of a large open space. In our example from Spain, the kitchen was separated from the living room in this way, and in order to make the wall facing the common area more functional, they placed a library on it to the full height of the partition.

AS Bureau Interior design

Russia: shelves as an art object
Time is changing traditional ideas about the home library: today shelves do not necessarily look like horizontal bars, and sometimes take the most bizarre forms. An element of geometric diversity in the interior will help to bring, for example, a library of composite panels: you can arrange them in any order, and fix the supports, based on the number of volumes in your library.

Paolo Fusco Photo

Italy: extra strong construction
Some of us are familiar with the situation when a bookshelf suddenly collapses under the weight of its contents. Do you suspect that chipboard shelves might one day not support the weight of an ever-growing library? Choose a metal frame: even the most extensive collection can be trusted with it.

Silvan Floors

UK: roofed library
The attic floor is often perceived as the coziest part of a country house. The problem is that the areas under the very slope of the roof are difficult to fill functionally - however, this is the place for a home library. Books can be arranged vertically or slightly slanted, as in this successful project from the UK.

Bismut & Bismut Architectes

France: vertical row
Another common planning challenge is finding use for empty corners. The book collection can be a worthy answer in this case too. Don't be afraid, you don't have to put the books on the floor and worry that the stack will fall from every draft: for this arrangement, a special frame with a metal stand is used, which is not visible from the side.

Element Studios

Nanette Wong

USA: Onsite
If you place your books on separate open shelves, decorative stops will help keep the books from falling. Try to experiment with humorous plots, for example, as in this American project - the main thing is that the holders themselves have enough weight.

Black Fox Interiors

Romania: books under the bed
Under-bed storage systems often help owners of small apartments. In addition to extra blankets and bedding, books can also be placed here - however, a bed with comfortable open drawers will most likely have to be made to order.

hoo Interior Design & Styling

China: combine open shelves and closed fronts
If there is not much space in the apartment, and your book collection is far from the district library, pay attention to the scenario from China: designers combined in this apartment storage systems for clothes and books. The idea turned out to be successful not only because it meets the needs of the owners for storage, but also due to the “breaking down” of the monotonous row of continuous facades with open shelves with books. This adds dynamics to the interior.

The Way We Play

Sweden: zoning cabinet
Zoning a large space with a bookcase is not a fresh idea, but for it to work, you need to choose and install the cabinet wisely. The owners of this Stockholm apartment opted for a simple white closet with uniformly sized sections, a smart move given that multi-colored spines always create a motley discord. In addition, the cabinet does not adjoin either the walls or the ceiling - there is enough space for passage in the room, and the part of the room remote from the window is not deprived of natural light.

U(nik) design team

Russia: Library under the ceiling
The Russian project from the ArchBaby studio proves that you can always find a place for a bookshelf, if you wish. The bedroom housed a large wardrobe for clothes behind solid facades, and there was just a gap under the ceiling, into which part of the book collection fit perfectly.