I have millions of books (Well, a dozen or so) and I can NEVER find
the one that I want.

I want a way of electronically tagging each book so that I can quickly
find the one I want, anywhere in the house.

Being miserably poor and even more miserably mean, I also don't want
to spend an arm-and-a-leg.

Can anyone give me any hope?

Bryan

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 22 Jan 2004 19:20 PST

You should probably consider getting one of these devices for each of your books:


http://www.thespystore.com/rf-worldwide.htm


I'm sure you could negotiate a volume discount.

paf

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Clarification of Question by probonopublico-ga on 22 Jan 2004 21:32 PST

Hi, Paf

Just the job! Many thanks and the price is right even if I can't get a
bulk discount ... In fact, I might even go as far as paying a premium.

Perhaps you would be kind enough to buy one for evaluation purposes,
before I commit my own money? (As you know, I do have a hungry dog to
feed.)

In the meantime, I will also take a look at the other non-electronic
suggestions ...

But, maybe, Pink has struck gold once again?

Too busy to do anything before Sunday though.  

Warmest regards to all.

Bryan

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Clarification of Question by probonopublico-ga on 24 Jan 2004 23:03 PST

Many thanks, everybody, I've now got the solution in my sights.

Bryan~

This isn't what you're specifically asking for, so I'm including it as a comment.

I, too, have a million books, but I have found that if I sort them, I
can find them easily.

For example, each bookcase in my home contains books of one (sometimes
two) categories. (Examples of categories might include Historical
Fiction, Sci-Fi, Nonfiction History, Nonfiction Music, etc.)

Within those categories, I either keep the books somewhat in
alphabetical according to title or author (whichever I'm most likely
to remember when I'm seeking the book later), OR according to
subcategories. For example, my Nonfiction Religion bookshelf might
have subcategories of Apologetics, Bible Study, Bible Reference, and
Bible History. If the shelves are arranged "alphabetically," I just
put all the "A"s in one place, the "B"s in another, etc. I don't get
too anal about it :)

I don't have enough bookshelves to house all my books, so when I place
books elsewhere (stylishly skewed on a coffee table, for example), I
try to keep them in categories, too. For example, one table might have
only art books, another only reference books about antiques.

These categories are all just examples, of course. Your categories
would be of your own choosing, according to what makes sense to you
and your book collection :)

Hope that helps a little.

Kriswrite

Perhaps if you lent each book to a different freind then you would
only have to remember which one has what.

Hi, Kriswrite

Very many thanks for your suggestion which makes lots of sense but you
can't imagine how untidy I am. I am also a grasshopper jumping from
one thing to another.

These problems are compounded by my cleaner who likes to set new
challenges for me every time she comes.

She's a great gal but she will insist of moving stuff from where I
want it to where she thinks it should go, and that's not just books.

What I really need is a full time army of researchers, in house, full-time.

500 should be enough.

Any ideas?

Dear probonopublico~

If you pay me in books, I will be your first volunteer. But then I
will need to start storing books on the ceiling...Hmmm, not a bad
idea...

Well, if you won't try to organize yourself (only once, not quite as
painful as it might seem), and you won't handcuff your housekeeper,
I'm afraid I'm not of much help to you. I hope one of the other
Researchers has some better ideas :)

Kriswrite

Dear Kriswrite ...

You are absolutely write, I am a hopeless case.

Tonight, I am going to cry myself to sleep ... that is if I can get any sleep.

But, please, don't worry about me (Sob) ... I will be alwrite.

Hi,

I can't help you with the books (we have ours in boxes marked by
category), but there is a book inventory system that you can download
for free:

HomeBase:
http://www.abebooks.com/docs/homebase/main.shtml

Maybe that would help? If your books have ISBN numbers, it will fill
in some of the info automatically (you have to double-check to make
sure it is correct).

Just a thought - at least your list would be organized, if not your books -
hummer

Dear probonopublico~

There, there, don't sob. If you can't find your books, at least now
you have a neato new program to play with (thanks to hummer). You'll
now know *exactly* what books you have, so you can nash your teeth
when they are lost. What fun.

Kriswrite

This program isn't free but it may be helpful.  

http://www.skali.com.my/index.php?ch=15&pg=128&ac=704&ct=59

Of course you can donate your entire book collection to your local
library and they will catalog them and you will easily be able to find
them (as long as no one else takes them out).

Bowler-ga

To find a lost book, you might try dowsing for it by using a
goosenecked reading lamp as a divining-rod. ;-)

The *real* way to find it is to trick the misplaced tome into
believing you're looking for something else, such as your keys or
glasses.

It never fails in my home, we find everything we've misplaced BUT what
we've been looking for, so we've had to resort to that subterfuge. But
it works!

Go searching for your fingernail clippers, and the book will turn up,
literally (couldn't help myself), everywhere you're looking!

Serenata

Hi, Serenata

You are absolutely right.

A bizarre thing happened to me recently ... For two weeks, I searched
EVERYWHERE for a document that I considered very important ...

In desperation, I eventually went to Kew to get another copy (It
wasn't the only thing that I did there but it was top of my agenda)...

And then, within 30 minutes of arriving home, I found the orginal.

So that was 40p thrown away and Daisy had to do without anything to eat for a week.

Warmest regards

Bryan

Hi, Bryan

Interesting news?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/stores/browse/press-release-feature/-/515356/2003/202-5558469-7093402

So amazon.co.uk could be of some help should you intend to put all
your books into a database, as proposed in previous comments.

Regards,
Freddy

Hi, Freddy

Great news!

Very many thanks.

Bryan