furniture makers are obviously not book owners. why do they make such terrible shelves? shelves should always be adjustable, and drawers are darn silly, and all this new-fangled open shelves that are all the rage and decorative and good for divider walls are not in the least suitable books are not clothes afterall you don't hang them from a rod open wardrobes might look stylish but open bookshelves are foolish. and tower bookcases are ridiculous you want your books in a long row, not, a mere 8 or 10 books to each shelf. what you want is a sturdy, heavy case (but no glass doors even if it does get dusty) that stands against the wall and is 6-foot high the sort of which you find in faculty offices. and no carved edges or decorative flourishes. wide shelves, deep enough for a hamilton spenser but not so deep as to leave the ordinary A5 size books in shadowy depths, and while a darker wood is better than one of those light, "natural" woods which always look so anaemic, not a heavy mahogany case either, no children's book ever looked good in one of those, it's too grave and middle-aged. a medium brown wood case. i'm still looking for the ideal one.they're all so badly designed.