I have a wide range of books that are usually philosophic in nature (well except my electrical engineering books). My favorite books are my Jose Ortega y Gasset, Tom Robbins and Alan Watts collections. Of those three authors my favorites are Revolt of the Masses, Skinny Legs and All, and The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are respectively.

One book that I thoroughly enjoyed was a collection of essays by modern philosophers called Bull**** and Philosophy. The collection was inspired by Harry Frankfurt's book On Bull**** and is required reading for those interested in the dark arts of communication.

B.S. and Philosophy actually looks like a really good book. I may buy it from amazon. I have always found general philosophy the most interesting reads.

My library bookcase is a mess so I'll just list them out:

Secondary Sources:
Metaphysics: The Big Questions, van Inwagen
The Cambridge Companion to Aristotle
The Cambridge Companion to Kierkegaard
19th century philosophy, Patrick Gardner
Readings in Epistemology, Crumley
Reason and Religious Belief, Peterson et al.
Several readers from Louis Pojman

Primary Sources:
The Complete Works of Plato
The Complete Works of Aristotle
Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics, Kant
Fear and Trembling, Kierkegaard
For Self Examination, Kierkegaard
Being and Time, Heidegger
Concept of Mind, Ryle
Being and Nothingness, Sartre
Myth of Sisphyus, Camus
Philosophical Investigations, Wittgenstein
Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Kuhn
Word and Object, Quine

And some others. For the rest, it called your local library

But is there any particular way you arranged them? Are they all grouped together? Do you tendsto put your favorites in a certain spot as compared to the books you just keep?

What would a person think you views would be based off of what they saw in your collection?

This is more of an exploration of how your collection defines you...or not?

If someone were to look at it, they would see Kant, Kierkegaard and the 19th century books easily accessible, followed by Plato and Aristotle.

Then on the farthest away of my bookshelf, they'd see Heidegger, Ryle, Quine. They'd also see those books have dust on them. lol

My 'library' is sprawled out all over the house. Old text books and my volumes of Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas are in the music room along with my 'psychedelic' literature (Huxley's Doors of Perception and that sort of thing). On the back porch I have a collection of novels and treatises; many of the treatises are political - Locke, Paine, and I think my copy of the Prince is out there as well. On the computer desk, you'll find several history books, mostly war and religion. In the living room I have just a few books. One of my Bibles is out there as well as a few novels.

My bedroom hosts the bulk of my collection. Plato and the most of my ancient Greek works that are not in the music room have their place in my closet. There's another Bible and some Buddhist material. Hume, Berkley, Kant, Descartes and God knows what else are either in the book case or scattered about the floor in the living organism that is the mess of my room.

I like to keep copies of books I read and value. I'll borrow a book, read it, enjoy it, and then buy a copy myself. As a result, I have more books than I can count. There's also a significant portion of my collection that I have not yet read. I hit used books stores and feel no guilt for buying ten or fifteen books that I expect to read at some future date. Total bargain book freak.

Videcor, I noticed that your bookself has doors on it, are you a closet philosopher?

All of my 'hardcore' philosophy books are grouped by author on one self. I think in this order: Machiavelli (1), Plato (3 - almost the complete collection), Hume (2), Kant (10), Aquinas (2), Kierkegaard (7), Rawls (1), Descartes (1).

Then on the next self I have a collection of greatest works. Stuff like Thoreau, Plato, Aristotle, Shakespeare, Plutarch (This was given to me). Next to those you will find my hodgepodge. Like Didymos, I go to the local bookstore and find bargain books, and just stock up for fun. Things like Spinoza, Rand ($1 books, cut me some slack), Voltaire, more Plato, the B.S. and Philosophy book (never read, it was a gift, a co-worker found it funny to by me the B.S. and Philosophy book), and numerous others that I cannot read from here.

The next self I have really deep books like The Shy Little Kitten, Let's Share, Goodnight Moon. Oh wait, that's my sons self!

Then I have my literature self, with notables like The Once and Future King, Lord of the Flies, a book on Julius Caesar, some Follett, Mccullough (Great Roman Historical Fiction), and a few others.

Then I have the child development books and some Steven King. Though these are more my wives. You will not find me reading What to Expect When Your Expecting.

Oh, and a couple books on the bedstand, more existentialism I think. And some downstairs in storage, textbooks mostly.

Other than the books I own, I find that the Library is extremely cost effective. I am lucky enough to have access to books from most of the college libraries in Michigan. Any obscure philosophical book (you know, the $80 books) I have looked for, I have found on the library reservation site.

Victor,
So you would more closely identify with Kant and Kierkegaard more than Heidegger and Ryle? I have noticed though that the books I never touch are some of my favorite ones. But I realized how odd it was that I kept those favorite ones in a spot where I always go to for books but never touch them. They are always in the way, but I can never seem to put them somewhere else. So maybe you identify more with Heidegger et. al.

Didymos,[single tear].

De Silento,
I even go so far to put in a few leather bound books to give the right smell for the rest of the books. That nasty library book smell doesn't cut it.

Ayn Rand hold a disproportionately large section in my library. I wanted to understand why the American culture is all f'd up and Ayn Rand had a major influence on the aspects that make it especially f'd.

I have a pretty big library with some standard philosophical works and some nonstandard works. Most of my library is literature, medieval studies, history, and some travel writing. I have a lot of Nietzsche, Plato, Aristotle, Camus, Sartre, and Kant on the shelf, plus some compilations. My most unusual books are The Aesthetics of Music and The Aesthetics of Architecture, both by Roger Scruton; South Park and Philosophy; and a whole lot of eastern philosophy. This includes a complete translation of the Mahabharata, which is over 5000 pages long.

[quote]Victor,
So you would more closely identify with Kant and Kierkegaard more than Heidegger and Ryle? I have noticed though that the books I never touch are some of my favorite ones. But I realized how odd it was that I kept those favorite ones in a spot where I always go to for books but never touch them. They are always in the way, but I can never seem to put them somewhere else. So maybe you identify more with Heidegger et. al.[/quote]

I do like Kant and Kierkegaard, I turn to their books frequently; The last time I touched Heidegger or Quine's books were back in 2004. Never read them since.

It's not limited to philosophy/religion. My Modern Drummer collection is similarly scattered about... man, here I am looking around - I do this with everything. All kinds of crap out on tables, lost under tables, in drawers. I should really start to organize more.



Yeah, it's like I cycle books to keep close at hand depending on what subject has me most interested at the moment. Recently, I brought out the Prince again because we were reading it in my World Lit class.



Oh, man, I've lost so many books in the same way. Montaigne's Essays - gone. That one I really miss; just haven't managed to get another copy, still looking for a good bargain. I keep lending them, though. Another copy can always be found, and I like giving people books. Most of the stuff I buy is used, and therefore cheap.

I got the seven harry potter books

The Harry Potter series is pretty good. I have most of them... around here... somewhere.

Theres loads of books I want but can't afford as there are loads of them, but I have an online library.
In my real life library to mention a few, this is roughly what I have:

My Christian Research lot:
The dead sea scrolls (translation)
Lost scriptures: books that didn't make it into the new testament (nag hamadi library effectively)
New RSV bible: catholic edition with deutero-canonical books (apocrypha)
KJV bible
Good news bible
Gideons new testament and psalms
Book of mormon
A translation of the psalms (from a prominent jewish guy)
Jung and the lost gospels

Islamic stuff:
Islam in Focus
The Quran (several)
Sahih bukhari (collection of hadith/ prophetic stuff)
Sahih muslim (as above)
Bearing true witness (for new muslims)
Signs of the Day of Judgement
The End of times
A brief illustrated guide to understanding islam
And many other smaller books that I cant remember as thee are so many.

Micellanious:
The Da Vinci Code
The Lord of the Rings collection (All 6 books and appendixes)
The Harry Potter septilogy (all seven books)
A Brief history of time

Books I want
The Polyglot Bible
A Complete collection of Pseudepigrapha
The holy Piby
Oahspe (or the Kosmon bible)
The Royal Parchment of Black supremacy
The Book of Shadows
The egyptian book of the dead
The Third Eye (or mother of the matrix) by Sophia Stewart
The Republic
Das Kapital

My whole philosophical adventuren is a bit difficult because I'm interested in so many things, but never really seem to finish anything, and end up knowing something about everything, but nothing that i can really hold on too. Notice here that i like Nietzsche, but am looking for others (The Great Philosophers; essays about philosophers), as well to expand my knowledge (Cambridge Encyclopedia).

Next to that I'm obsessed with analyzing humanity (The Moral Animal) and the whole idea punishment (Discipline and Punish), but haven't delved much into it lately, but many observations are running wild and untamed in my head.

My collection of books from the last 2 years when i started reading again; haven't read all of them yet.

Philosophy
1/3th of Nietzsche's books (Zarathustra, Antichrist etc)Bertrand Russel: Bertrand Russel Why i am not a Christian
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Mastering Philosophy (Nice book for the beginner by the way)
The Great Philosophers
Some research books
George Orwells Essay's (Not that he's a philosopher, but his essays can be quite powerful)
The Moral Animal (About human nature)
Discipline and Punish; the birth of prisonAmusing ourselves to death
Darwin's The Orgin of species
Also notice that i'm also expanding into Mathematics, Rasputin, Hitler (Left out all the books, for most are non-US editions) and science.

Misc Education
Mathematics The birth of numbers (1024 pages of mathematics!)
World Changing (Global warming, and earth itself)
Certificate no 000867// (About the nuclear devastation of Russia, Kazakhstan and others, photo/text book, story of the people. Very moving)
Bill Bryson: Shakespeare, Bill Bryson: The Short history of nearly everything
To Kill Rasputin: The life and death of Gregori Rasputin
The book of nothing (about numbers and zero, very interesting)
Quantum Technology
The Fiction department of my brain wants to read all the masterpieces and trilogies, which limits my time in philosophy. School books are left out.

Fiction:
The masterpieces (Das perfum, Slaughterhouse 5, Catcher in the Rye, To kill a mockingbird etc)
Lot's of Ryu Murikami books
Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy (all books)
Lord of the rings (fellowship, two towers, king)
His Dark Materials (The Golden Compass etc)
A Series of Unfortunate events, all 13 books + several other related books
Harry Potter 1 through 6 (I borrowed 7)
George Orwells books (1984, The Animal Farm, others will be bought when i'm done reading all the books i still have to read)
The Plot against America
And tens of others, when i'm 80 i'll propably have my own private library.
Dexter Trilogy (Books are really bad in comparison with the Showtime series)

I have Linguistic, Ethnographic, and Archaeology Sections Arranged in Theory, Method, and History sections. I have a Western Philosophy Section Arranged in Ancient, Enlightenment, Religious, and Modern-ish sections. I have an Eastern Philosophy Section Arranged in Taoist, Buddhist, Hindi, Sufi, Martial Arts and Misc Sections. A Sci-fi/fanstasy section... Never could stand the "literary classics" then I have a Christian section arranged in General, Catholic, Latter Day Saint Sections. And still I'm so ill read it makes me a little sick.

I am one of those persons whose books are being used. Some are besides my bed (my political philosophy books), some are besides the computer (Spinoza, Descartes and the English dictionary), some I lent to friends (Plato and Rousseau), but most are still on the bookshelf.

Most of my bookshelf is filled with books concerning WWII, but my philosophy books are catching up quickly. It is organised by subject primarily. I have a number of dictionaries that I use frequently (Dutch, German, French, Latin and English), I have a number of religious works that I have read (Thora, Nieuwe Testatment, Quran, some Taoistc and buddhistic works and even a work concerning the art of Zen). And finally I have a small collection of Anarchistic works.

The philosophy section is neatly arranged by name of the philosopher (usually). The names are not organised, so Kant is next to Plato and rousseau is on the other side of Plato. The rest of my Descartes and Spinoza is in there, Wittgenstein, Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Seneca, Xenophon, Nietzsche, Hume Schopenhauer. Perhaps I am forgetting some works. There also is a small section reserved for my old schoolbooks, but I find them somewhat limited in their usefullness and offered information.

P.S. Get well soon GoshisDead