Bookshelf Tour Part 1 - 1,025 Science Fiction Mass Market Paperbacks

0:00 Intro
1:40 Books
39:23 Outro
Thanks for watching!

[braydenpresley]

Sci fi paperback tours are my ASMR. Thanks for this.

[fjuran]

Great collection of mass market paperbacks. I have so many of these, but packed in in boxes due to all my hardcovers being out. I love going thru them from time to time, love those old covers from the 1960's and 70's.

[vintagesf]

This has been a lot of fun. Really like your set of SF Rediscovery books. I think it is a great idea to have some showcase shelves to display current acquisitions, TBR books or a series.

[willk]

I like the style of your collection, not over-focused on first editions or perfect condition - just a great array of authors with the idea to actually read through them! Personally I like paperbacks more than hardbacks for this reason, since they feel less "formal" so thus more inviting to actually grab off the shelf and read.

[rickkearn]

Time to build an addition on your house, Ira! I'm envious, this is a great collection. Cheers.

[ReadingIDEAS.-uzxk]

Fantastic collection. Will keep you busy! Best wishes and happy reading.

[secretfirebooks]

This was great! I await the horror/fantasy section with bated breath.

[CptSamel]

You’re lucky to have so much space! I live in an old miner’s house from an industrial age past and theres room for four shelves above my dresser and that’s it. It really makes me consider what I like & want to keep, because there is zero room for duds. Also, I arrange my books by color. The most colorful books go lower where I see them more and the drab books go up top next to the ceiling.

[TauZeroSF]

I’m taking so many notes of titles! Thanks for sharing, Ira 🎉 I love these shelf tours. My main shelf of paperbacks is pure chaos but I aleast try to keep authors and series together. 😂 at least the hardback shelf is organized.

[Unpotted]

The shelves look great without spaces, but It must be such a chore to fit in new purchases, having to shift all those books!
I don’t even know how you find the rarer titles where you live.
Have you kept track of expenses? That total might be scary, lol.
I’m envious that you have space to display your library. I definitely need another room built on my house.
Looking forward to your next video.
😺✌️

[DaBIONICLEFan]

Found a signed copy of Helliconia Spring in my favourite second-hand bookshop not too long ago, didn’t even realise till I was looking through when I got home. The 1983 Pan edition. One of my best finds so far.

Have you read A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke? A hard SF survival story. I picked up an immaculate 1964 Pan paperback of that last week.

Fred Hoyle is from my hometown, we have a few streets named after him round my way. Haven’t read any of his works though.

Great collection, thanks for sharing 👍

[jimmymcnulty]

The Gene Wolfe copies are amazing. Urth of the New Sun will answer some questions about the Book of the New Sun, and it will of course introduce an entirely new set of questions that you get to argue about until the worm eating at our sun finishes the job.

[sciencefictionreads]

Awesome tour! Baxter's Vacuum diagrams is a good place to start. Great collection.
Butler's Xenogenesis trilogy is great! One of the very first sf books/series i read and i still think about it often, ten years later.

I have all the same complaints with alphabetizing. I dislike having favorite authors near the floor or stuff I'm not particularly fond of on the shelves that you can see in my videos. That one really bothers me lol. I hate the constant shuffling of books when you add new stuff. I leave negative space on the bottom shelf of each vertical row to avoid moving literally everything behind a new book. Works fine, but i dislike the look of the negative space at the bottom of each shelving unit. At the end of the day its all totally worth it and necessary for the ease with which you find what your looking for.
Love the look of your library!

[Jmustang]

Digging the shelves! max space efficiency

[northof-]

Oooh!, I noticed you've got Alan E. Nourse's 'The Bladerunner' there.
Pretty much unobtanium in my experience.

[Lokster]

That's a lovely selection. I currently have more books than easily accessible shelves so I haven't got them in alphabetical by author surname, which I do prefer. I tend to go author surname then publication date, which splits series (sometimes) but I kind of like to work my way through an author's timeline. But I'm a bit nerdy like that. I read Babel-17 this year and really enjoyed it.

[andrewb.]

Heard you say you want to read something by Peter F. Hamilton some time... I see you've got "Pandora's Star" on your shelves which is really great, but you'll need "Judas Unchained" to complete that story, it's a duology. Alternatively if you wanted to read a stand-alone "Fallen Dragon" or "Great North Road" are great starting points as well. I also noticed you have "The Bladerunner" by Alan E. Nourse on your shelves, can recommend that one as well... nothing to do with the movie that was based on PKD's "Do Androids Dream..." but more like medical SF, I thought it was a great read.

Edit: Frederik Pohl I've enjoyed what I've read so far too. I see you've got "The Space Merchants" there that he co-wrote with Kornbluth... it's a very fun read.

[SciFiScavenger]

Nice! Always fun to browse other people's shelves. Did you have camera assistance, or have you grown an extra pair of arms? Also, did you voice over after shooting the footage, or did you talk as you went shelf by shelf? Asking for a friend...
I feel your tour shelf shuffling pain, my mmpb books are organised alphabetically, my latest shuffle was just yesterday. Some would say the answer is to stop buying books, but they're clearly wrong, or INSANE, or both. Full library tour from my end coming soon. 👍

[Sci_Fi_Up_High]

An incredible collection! You’ve acquired quite a number of books I’m always hunting for. Many in amazing condition as well. Your PKD shelf is impressive to say the least.

How long have you been collecting? I imagine you have found some in the wild but are also purchasing on eBay and Abe?

I have a feeling you may be someone I’m bidding against 😂😉

[outlawbookselleroriginal]

Alphabetical A-Z by author is the only real system: it's what bookshops use and it makes sense, since in language and reading, the alphabet is King- and just look at the index of any non-fiction book...yep, it's alphabetical and names are listed thus - 'Le Guin, Ursula' (for example). The 'shifting' job is just part of having shelving and you made a wise decision to build your own to ensure maximum use of space for 'A Format' books' - there isn't a bookcase maker on the planet who seems to understand that most books come in standard formats and should be designed to make maximum use of space.
Now imagine you're a bookseller and you have to spend up to 7.5 hours a day shelving books in the correct place, re-alphabetising where people have put titles back in the right place AND you have to merchandise the books to the rules set by your employer. That's pretty much my day....
Good to see someone so enthusiastic about 'A Format' books- like you, I eschew Ace Doubles. Not sure how many SF pbks I have now in 'A', but it's probably around 800 and currently, I have no intention of getting more - I will, of course, but others will have to go.