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There is no denying that electronic books have their own benefits. But even today, with so many devices and formats for electronic books on the market, many of us still prefer to hold a real volume in our hands. When asked about it, people usually give various reasons as to why they like reading paper books. Whatever those reasons might be, the fact remains that people still buy books. And what do books need? That’s right, a good bookcase.

Actually, a bookshelf will also do. Depending on your living situation, you might not have enough space to fit a big decorative bookcase in your apartment to put your entire book collection on display, but at the end of the day, it’s the creativity that counts. You don’t necessarily need to have a big bookshelf to make it original or style it in a unique way.

If you need some inspiration to help you organize your own book collection, we have gathered photos from all over the internet to show you what other people do when it comes to creative shelves and book displays. Some of them own old books that have been handed down from generation to generation, while others prefer brand-new, just-off-the-shelf books – but what unites them is their love for book reading and a well-organized library, however big or small. 

Do you like these styles? Upvote your favorite ones. And we are really curious to know how you organize your books. Show us your shelves and bookcases in the comments!

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    Husband Officially Finished Building These Beautiful Bookshelves

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    United States Bookshelf I Built

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    Domi
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    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I admire the person who made it. He had to be precise and consistent.

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    #11

    My Best Friend’s Living Room. This Isn’t Even Half Of The Books They Own

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    I Finally Made My Mini Library In My Flat, It’s Only Taken Me A Year!

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    I have two other bookcases that are full of my vintage fantasy books (like David Gemmell and David Eddings). I’m so happy how it’s turned out!

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    #18

    The Best Part About Visiting My Mother Is Getting To Bask In Her Temple Of Readerly Virtue

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    A Dining Room Is A Good Place For A Library - Had Custom Built-Ins Made For Our 1906 Home

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    Monica Michelle
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    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I just inherited my dad's book shelves our dining room is now full dark academia

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    #25

    I Purchased A Beautiful Mid Century House In July. My Dad And I Built This 13'x13' Book Case Last Month

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    I plan on building a rolling ladder for it to help me move some things up, and make them more accessible. I'm absolutely in love with how it turned out!

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    #26

    My Personal Library Over The Last Few Years

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    Moved Into A New House And Wasn’t Sure What To Do With This Space - Absolutely In Love With It Now (Think My Cat Likes It Too)

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    I Moved Into My First Apartment And Told My Dad I Wanted A Nice Bookshelf. He Made Me This From Scratch

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    #30

    All I Want For Christmas Is Books. My Shelfs From A Different Side. I Really Need More Space

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    We Are Listing Our House For Sale This Week. I Am Really Going To Miss These Shelves

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    Jacki moore
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    1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I would too but I would make sure the next house has more shelves lol

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    #32

    Built This Bookshelf Myself For Our Oddly Shaped Bedroom. It's Our Mini Library! What Do You Think?

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    #34

    My Boyfriend Built A Hobbit-Hole Inspired Bookshelf For A Lotr Themed Room. Top Shelf Is Reserved For The Hardback Series

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    #35

    My Husband Always Promised To Build Me A Library For My Beloved Books... He Delivered

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    #37

    A Piano Repurposed As A Bookshelf

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    and_a_touch_of_the_’tism
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    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    AUGH… gorgeous baby grand piano gutted… I mean, I love books but this is a bit much…

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    #38

    My Dad Made Me These Bookshelves For My Many Plants And Books

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    Domi
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    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    A framed fan, wow, I've never seen anything like this before.

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    #39

    I Just Moved My 1,980 Books To A New House. Up And Down Two Flights Of Stairs. Fun Times Haha

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    #40

    When I Was A Kid I Swore I’d Have My Own Library When I Owned A House. Today I Built This

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    My 94year Old Grandpa's Shelf (With Books Up To 200 Years Old)

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    #46

    A Much Better Quality Picture Of My Father’s Library

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    #48

    My Boyfriend's Bookshelf! :)

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    Poppycat
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    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    how attached are you to your bf? would you be upset if I stole him?

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    #49

    Had Wood Worms And Needed To Throw Out Some Parts. Now It Is Quite Chaotic, But I Like It Somehow

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    #54

    Got A New Reading Chair. Gonna Go Full Dad, Starting Tonight

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    #59

    Favorite Place In The House! Always Dreamed Of One Day Having A Little Library

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    #61

    Spent The Weekend Building My New Shelves And Reorganizing My Collection. How Did I Do?

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    #63

    Too Poor To Afford Real Bookshelves, So I Use Milk Crates

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    Adnew
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    We used cinder blocks and plywood planks. Miss those days when life was simpler.

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    Finally Got My Dream Bookcase, And The Reason We Bought This House

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    Domi
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    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That reading nook is perfect, my introverted self would like a curtain there.

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    #67

    I Always Wanted A Home Library. Designed This And Finally Had It Built

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    My In-Builts. A Major Reason I Bought My House

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    Jacki moore
    Community Member
    1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Beautiful I would have bought it for that reason too lol

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    Several Years Of Collecting And Now We Have Our Own Personal Library Room!

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    Finally Rainbowed The Romance Shelves

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    A Bookshelf Of My Friends Complete With Sliding Ladder

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    After Buying Our First House, I Finally Got The Reading Nook I Always Wanted

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    A Few Pipes, A Few Boards, And A Whole Lot Of Fantasy

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    Long Time Goal: Have My Own Library When I Own A Home. Mission Accomplished!

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    My Synesthesia Means That I Remember Books Better By Their Color Than By Title Or Author

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    Shawnna Clement
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    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That isn't Synesthesia. It's visual memory. Synesthesia is crossing of the senses. For example, I can see or hear things I touch. Yes, it's very annoying, but it doesn't with everything I touch just everytime I touch certain things I will get the same visual/ sound.

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    The History Section Of My Dad's Library

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    Lori Rogers
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    WICKED AWESOMENESS! Can I come visit like for a couple weeks/months? I'll be quiet you won't even notice me there

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    Just Bought My First Home And This Was The First Thing I Set Up. A Perfect Fit

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    #83

    Had A Fun Afternoon Making These Look Nice

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    Here It Is, My Library Is Finally Painted And Decorated

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    #85

    Found These Bookcases On The Side Of The Road With A “Free” Sign On Them

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    Our New Bookshelf

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    #87

    I’m Moving And Have To Give Up My Built-In Bookshelves, And I’m Questioning The Meaning Of Life

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    Great Grandfather’s Book Collection (Contains Books Dating Back To 1894 And Contains Several Handwritten Books)

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    My Grandfather’s Office And Library, In His Log Home On Vancouver Island, BC

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    #90

    About To Start Packing For A Move. Pray For Me

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    LK
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    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    When packing books for a move, use small boxes. Large boxes are too heavy to move around.

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    Finally Got Most Of My Books Onto My Shelves

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    New Bookshelves Means New Photos

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    New Bookcase For The Office. I'm In Love

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    The View From My Bed, Cross Post From Bookporn

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    Best Seat In The Apartment

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    I Always Wanted A Huge Bookshelf That You Need A Ladder For. This Year During Lockdown I Built One Myself

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    My 2,700 Book-Shelf, With About 30% Read By Now

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    Tucker Cahooter
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Interesting how many of these photos also show a globe of the world on or near the bookcase. I wonder how many globe owners don't have a huge bookcase as well (I suspect very few)

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    #102

    New Shelves Are Done!

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    #103

    My Best Friend Has A Very Visually Appealing Book Collection

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