elegantlion Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 If you wanted to build, create, maintain a home educational library what categories or specific books would think are a must have? Say you wanted to include all the major subjects in each stage grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric level in actual books, not anything electronic. For argument's sake pretend you're going to a deserted island with no electricity, so nothing digital. These are my current categories: grammar writing spelling vocabulary literature world history American history Art - instruction and history science - chem, physics, bio, and earth Math - arithmetic, fractions, decimals, pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, algebra II, precalc and statistics Great Books - in literature, history, science, math, and philosophy Languages - Latin, Greek, Japanese, Russian, French, Italian (these are the ones I own- would add German) Reference - Encyclopedias specific to subject, like the DK History book. Roget's thesaurus, dictionary, grammar handbooks, What would you add? Presume you have pencil and paper in good supply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extendedforecast Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Just off the top of my head I'd add an atlas to the reference section or a separate geography section. Also, I'd combine fractions and decimals, but that would just be my preference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 What age ranges? Do you want specific titles? Off the top of my head without knowing the answers to the above, I'd add astronomy, cooking, various crafts (paper, fabric, yarn, etc), geography, culture, music Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 http://www.librarything.com/home/momathwtk :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 Just off the top of my head I'd add an atlas to the reference section or a separate geography section. Also, I'd combine fractions and decimals, but that would just be my preference. Oh, yes, Geography! How could I forget that. What age ranges?Do you want specific titles? Off the top of my head without knowing the answers to the above, I'd add astronomy, cooking, various crafts (paper, fabric, yarn, etc), geography, culture, music Music, crafts! Gah, I'm leaving off important things. This is really all in fun, so if you have titles you'd love that's great, but categories are good too. I left off Spanish, I have that subject too. I'm really just playing with my books and considering I could create a school on a deserted island if necessary. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 http://www.librarything.com/home/momathwtk :D thanks!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 When DS was a baby, he was so allergic to everything that I was worried he'd never be able to set foot in a library so I began collecting. Plus, as others have noted, libraries don't seem to have a lot of room for books nowadays. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Jespersen's Essentials of English Grammar W. W. Sawyer books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShannonS Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Love this thread I am similarly mad :D My first thought is original source material. I would definitely do those over textbooks. (A very brief) absolute basics: Western Classics (Illiad/Odyssey/Aeneid) Vitruvius' ten books on architecture New Oxford Annotated Bible TaNaKh Dialects of Confucius Tao Te Ching Ramayana and Mahabharata Perhaps the Harvard Classics Maybe I am off track here...Are you imagining a subject-specific textbook library? So thankful for the public libraries right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 Jespersen's Essentials of English GrammarW. W. Sawyer books. these are not titles I know, goodie, something to explore. Love this thread I am similarly mad :D My first thought is original source material. I would definitely do those over textbooks. (A very brief) absolute basics: Western Classics (Illiad/Odyssey/Aeneid) Vitruvius' ten books on architecture New Oxford Annotated Bible TaNaKh Dialects of Confucius Tao Te Ching Ramayana and Mahabharata Perhaps the Harvard Classics Maybe I am off track here...Are you imagining a subject-specific textbook library? So thankful for the public libraries right now. No, you're on the right track. :D Some of these I own, some I don't, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShannonS Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 @elegantlion I enjoy perusing your blog :) You seem to have read so much. Are you creating a home library? *edit - just read other responses. It is fun to imagine :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShannonS Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 They were a bit pricey, but The Folio Society did an edition of Lang's Fairy Books that are absolutely gorgeous. I really like the aesthetics of books on a shelf and these are wonderful. It was for all kids from Santa on Christmas 2011. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 @elegantlion I enjoy perusing your blog :) You seem to have read so much. Are you creating a home library? *edit - just read other responses. It is fun to imagine :) Yes, I have a hard time getting rid of books. I also tend to find great things at thrift stores and my dad indulges my habits by going with me to thrift stores and library sales. They were a bit pricey, but The Folio Society did an edition of Lang's Fairy Books that are absolutely gorgeous. I really like the aesthetics of books on a shelf and these are wonderful. It was for all kids from Santa on Christmas 2011. In my dream home the library is filled with Folio Society books. Can't quite do it now, sorry, son, you only get one book for the entire year, hope you enjoy it, you must use gloves. I do have a bunch of antique books and my library (small town) still has antique books on the shelf. It's like walking back in time going there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Nature studies. Including books written by famous naturalists, identification guides, and preservation books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 I'd make sure to have the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia as well as the Human Odyssey set. That would provide pretty good history coverage, I'd think. I can't wait to see everyone else's recommendations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 okay, some more random thoughts: various Archaeology books various Geology books weather/meteorology books Usborne Encyclopedia of Ancient World Usborne World Wars USborne Encyclopedia of World History Usborne Encyclopedia of World Geography Usborne Mysteries and Marvels of Science Usborne Science Encyclopedia (no, I'm not an Usborne rep!) The Way Things Work Living Geography Ruth Heller's World of Language series Sir Cumference series Blue Book of English Grammar Elements of Style Nancy Drew Little House on the Prairie Skylark Hardy Boys Little Women Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie Comforts of Home CookWise Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone Taste of Home (or some other general cookbook) a Bread baking cookbook King Arthur Flour cookie book 50 Artists You Should Know Dk Great Paintings Short Lessons in Art History Architecture The Complete Encyclopedia of Stitchery various collections of poetry collections of Shakespeare Wartime Papers of Robert E. Lee Ferdalist Papers Anti-Federalist Papers Of Plymouth Plantation Beatrix Potter Winnie the Pooh Thomas the Tank various identification books on: trees birds seashells butterflies/moths Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Recreational mathematics topics, including secret codes, conceptual stuff, brain teasers, logic, statistics/data. Books about how things work - motors, coal-to-electric plants, aqueducts, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 * Janson's art history textbook * David Cook's A History of Narrative Film * One or more of David Crystal's English language encyclopedias Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 I'd also add books on herbs, natural medicines, and chinese medicines... traditional medicines in general. All the great existential books! No Exit! :D Do you have Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 In my dream home the library is filled with Folio Society books. Can't quite do it now, sorry, son, you only get one book for the entire year, hope you enjoy it, you must use gloves. :lol: I found two at a used bookstore. It was a difficult decision to make between Folio's Christmas Carol and Hawthorne's Tanglewood Tales. I went with the former, but sure wish I could have gotten both. I almost decided to run home to ask the Hive because I stood in the store for 20 minutes in a state of indecision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Brain candy. Seriously. Need some books for FUN. and, DIY projects. Stuff on basic electricity, plumbing, mechanics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarfoot Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 We have a section on film making,;) one on ballet, and one on piano. I guess those could be called "performance arts," if one wanted to combine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 Y'all are awesome. I see new ways to categorize my books. this can also help with some of the decisions on what to keep. I also have some new titles to add to my wish list. In all honesty, I would like to have a personal library that could encompass a k-12 education. Some books could be small, like spelling, I have the Design-a-study book that is good for k-8. Others, like history, never seem to end. I'd like to have a smaller quality collection of childrens' stories and more on the literature for high school and above. Why? Because I have a better chance of getting this than the purple convertible Mustang Mach I. :D Plus I do refer to my physical books a lot and I'm constantly discovering new worlds and new ideas. It's so much fun. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 (edited) Reference: I would add Timetables of History. I consult that one often. Thinking about the rest. More: Interlinear Greek New Testament and Hebrew Old Testament The Complete Sherlock Holmes The Count of Monte Cristo The Complete works of Poe Most of Twain The Encyclopedia of Country Living or something similar, plus a book on home maintenance and repair. A book on local flora with emphasis on what is edible. Edited August 5, 2012 by Onceuponatime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 I would add some books on leadership to your list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 Reference: I would add Timetables of History. I consult that one often. Thinking about the rest. I have a great timeline book. I have this world history reference book, it's more for older students, but it's great. Yikes! The price has shot up on that one, I paid less than $12 for mine. I would add some books on leadership to your list. :lol: I have those! I have a whole section off leadership books I want ds to read, they're still buried in a box somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShannonS Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 From left field, but... I would *love* to get my hands on a hardcover 1968 edition of James Watson's The Double Helix. A signed copy would be heaven. A girl can dream... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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