Ever since books started being printed the problem of their storage has been a matter of concern for book lovers, especially those who want to keep them safe, accessible and in proper condition for posterity. Book lovers and collectors are constantly in a dilemma whether to keep books in boxes or a bookcase.
One needs to keep books in boxes as long as there is no permanency of residence. Unless one has an owned house or a semblance of permanency, it is impractical to buy or build a bookcase. As long as one is living in rented quarters, movement from one accommodation to another will be frequent due to one reason or the other and it is better to store books in boxes. Even if they get dilapidated with too much of shifting and moving, it is better to change the boxes rather than go in for a bookcase.
For those lucky to be in a position to buy their own homes the dilemma of book storage resurfaces in the shape of a choice between different types of bookcases. There are interminable options open on how to store those beauties that one has collected over a lifetime: shelve them in a bookcase that is an inbuilt structure of a wall or get a prefabricated bookcase: whether to go in for garage sale shopping for wood or metal.
Circumstances permitting one can even let one's books be revered while resting in a brand new bookcase.
The dilemma does not end there. Selection of the type of bookcase to build or buy is another brain-teaser. Incessant options exist in the shape of contemporary, modern, French, Mediterranean, baroque, Gothic, traditional, mission, eclectic and shabby chic depending upon the interior decorating styles.
Mission style bookcases are purposeful and came into existence long after the first bookcases were configured. At best they are utilitarian.
Specially crafted pieces meant specifically for storing books came on the scene only in the 17th century when English readers started collecting books and felt the need for storing books. According to the Antique Collector's Dictionary by the latter part of the 17th century, bookcases were a common feature in libraries, schools and in homes of book lovers and scholars. Slowly the bookcase building techniques were picked up by others in the reading and researching world.
Different styles and types of bookcases surfaced on the scene till the 19th century. Prominent among them worth mentioning here are known as Georgian breakfront (also known wing) bookcases; upper stage glazed bookcases; and the Regency period dwarf (tiered) bookcases.
Mission style bookcases made their appearance on the scene in the end of the 19th century. As part of the matter-of-fact Mission style furniture set, these bookcases entered homes with the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement that was taking shape then. The story of bookcases cannot be complete with an honorable mention of the role of great creative minds as William Morris, Gustav Stickley and Frank Lloyd Wright in the phylogeny of Mission style.
All said and done simple and sturdy may be the smartest choice for bookcases regardless of the situation one is in: permanent residence or rented accommodation.
