154 The Country House 



binding, regardless of the contents. There is nothing against the handsome 

 binding, although the simpler thing is the safer choice for ordinary use. Cheap 

 and gaudy book designs are continually being made, with no other motive than 

 to catch the eye of the public, and these help to destroy the decorative quality as 

 well as the quiet of a bookcase. Can anything be more exasperating than trying 

 to read Emerson under the glare and gesticulation of a red binding embraced by 

 sundry whirls of purple and pink, which reaches out from its shelf and cannot be 

 quieted ? 



The best form of bookcase, either in the movable or built-in type, is that 

 which contains a cupboard at the bottom for folios and the like, with shelves 

 above enclosed by glass doors. Of course it is always better to build in the book- 

 case when possible, as it then becomes a part of the decorative scheme, and not 

 a rank outsider calculated to declare war on every line and motive of the room. 

 It is well, in the case of a small library, not to build too much case at the start, 

 although its extension should be planned for at that time. Long rows of unfilled 

 shelves detract greatly from the restlulness of the room and give it a look of 

 exceeding bareness. The space designed for future cases might be hung with 

 unobstrusive hangings. 



In the building of the bookcase it is well that the cupboard at the base be 

 projected beyond the line of the book shelves above. This gives extra room in the 

 cupboard; at the same time books can be laid on it temporarily while consulting 

 the shelves; it may be made broad enough to sit on; or, if covered with baize or 

 some other fabric, or even rubber, can be used as a step to reach the upper shelves. 

 This last, however, is to be avoided if possible, not from a question of looks, but 

 that it is always better to be able to reach easily the top shelf from the floor. 

 Where it is absolutely necessary, however, it cannot be called a crime. The top 

 of the bookcase can be used for busts, pottery or other art objects which seem to 

 have a place in the room. The shelves should be of the fixed kind, grading 

 from the larger at the bottom upward. This is better than the adjustable 

 variety, inasmuch as they are always in line and do not destroy the symmetry of 

 the room as do the others. A bookcase should always be protected by a glass 

 door to save the contents from dust. 



The most practical bookcase of to-day is the sectional pattern, in which each 

 shelf comes separately and is complete in itself. Notwithstanding its utility it 

 is a most ugly affair at the best. As the old patterns on Colonial lines are but 

 a little less convenient and far handsomer, they are to be preferred when the small 

 library makes the detached bookcase desirable. When all is said, however, the 

 sectional type has a future, perhaps more promising than its past. 



The decoration of the library should be quiet and subservient to the books 

 and shelves, and the furniture comfortable and convenient. The library table 

 should be large enough for all practical purposes, and that means size; it is gen- 

 erally much too small. As this table is used as a writing table, it should not become 

 a catch-all for odds and ends; the ordinary bric-a-brac has no place in the library. 

 It is a good idea to have an extra table for the disposal of current periodicals. 

 They can be cared for in other ways, but some consideration must be given them. 



The true smoking room, with its inviting divans and its hangings and 



