I'm pretty sure it doesn't make a difference and books are fine being stored vertically. That's how people have been storing books for hundreds, if not thousands of years (just go down to your local library and see).
Honestly, you're probably going to inflict more wear and tear by having your books stacked whenever you try and pull out a book from the bottom of the stack. There's a practical reason people store books vertically.
I'm pretty sure it doesn't make a difference and books are fine being stored vertically. That's how people have been storing books for hundreds, if not thousands of years (just go down to your local library and see).
Honestly, you're probably going to inflict more wear and tear by having your books stacked whenever you try and pull out a book from the bottom of the stack. There's a practical reason people store books vertically.
Fair points, thanks for your reply. I read somewhere some of the old hand-bound books are supposed to be stored horizontally due to the weight of the ink, pages, etc. which is why I asked.
I remove all books from the shelves when I need one, I don’t pull any out from under the others.
Look at library's. I've never seen a book laying down on a shelf unless it was to big to fit and nothing was stacked on top of it. They are always upright. DND books such as the 5e and others have one particular issue. Never get them wet. They are basically Gremlins. If you get them wet it'll create all kinds of chaos. 😀
Look at library's. I've never seen a book laying down on a shelf unless it was to big to fit and nothing was stacked on top of it. They are always upright. DND books such as the 5e and others have one particular issue. Never get them wet. They are basically Gremlins. If you get them wet it'll create all kinds of chaos. 😀
Ah! Keep the beverages on a coaster AWAY from the books haha.
You're right about that. D&D books are fine though, it's for really big and heavy books that you don't find in your average shop. I have a few that have to be stored horizontally because the weight of the pages is too much and they pull away from the cover.
storing them at an angle -- you know that thing where they're mostly upright, but tilted just a little, because you don't have a bookend? The weight of the book is now more on one cover than the other, and that torque will be an issue over time.
if stored upright, being pulled out by the top of the spine -- this is more of a problem with older books, as the materials dry out you can crack the spine and cause damage by always pulling on one spot. Grabbing and pulling from the outside of the book instead of putting pressure on the actual binding is a better way to go.
if your bookshelves are too short to hold your books spine-out, but you don't want to lay them flat, the next best option is spine-down. Spine-up means the pages are constantly putting stress on the spine. This does make it hard to see which book is which, so if you don't want to write on your page edges, flat stacking might be better.
it's best wherever possible to keep books of a like size together, so they can help support each others' weight. All official D&D books are the same size, so this is easy, and not a concern here.
if you do stack, put the largest books at the bottom, like a pyramid. Again, not really an issue when all books are the same size.
storing them at an angle -- you know that thing where they're mostly upright, but tilted just a little, because you don't have a bookend? The weight of the book is now more on one cover than the other, and that torque will be an issue over time.
if stored upright, being pulled out by the top of the spine -- this is more of a problem with older books, as the materials dry out you can crack the spine and cause damage by always pulling on one spot. Grabbing and pulling from the outside of the book instead of putting pressure on the actual binding is a better way to go.
if your bookshelves are too short to hold your books spine-out, but you don't want to lay them flat, the next best option is spine-down. Spine-up means the pages are constantly putting stress on the spine. This does make it hard to see which book is which, so if you don't want to write on your page edges, flat stacking might be better.
it's best wherever possible to keep books of a like size together, so they can help support each others' weight. All official D&D books are the same size, so this is easy, and not a concern here.
if you do stack, put the largest books at the bottom, like a pyramid. Again, not really an issue when all books are the same size.
You're right about that. D&D books are fine though, it's for really big and heavy books that you don't find in your average shop. I have a few that have to be stored horizontally because the weight of the pages is too much and they pull away from the cover.
I’m up to 12 5e physical books. I have them stored horizontally on a bookshelf. Is this better or worse for the spines?
I'm pretty sure it doesn't make a difference and books are fine being stored vertically. That's how people have been storing books for hundreds, if not thousands of years (just go down to your local library and see).
Honestly, you're probably going to inflict more wear and tear by having your books stacked whenever you try and pull out a book from the bottom of the stack. There's a practical reason people store books vertically.
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Fair points, thanks for your reply. I read somewhere some of the old hand-bound books are supposed to be stored horizontally due to the weight of the ink, pages, etc. which is why I asked.
I remove all books from the shelves when I need one, I don’t pull any out from under the others.
Look at library's. I've never seen a book laying down on a shelf unless it was to big to fit and nothing was stacked on top of it. They are always upright. DND books such as the 5e and others have one particular issue. Never get them wet. They are basically Gremlins. If you get them wet it'll create all kinds of chaos. 😀
Ah! Keep the beverages on a coaster AWAY from the books haha.
You're right about that. D&D books are fine though, it's for really big and heavy books that you don't find in your average shop. I have a few that have to be stored horizontally because the weight of the pages is too much and they pull away from the cover.
Things that are bad for book bindings/spines:
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
Exactly what I was looking for, thank you!
Thanks!
No problem 👍