In the town I live in, very few people read much. It may sound like a generalization, but it's true! So I don't think less of people who have no books--if I did, I'd be putting myself above almost the entire town. My best memory of someone else's bookshelves is from when I visited friends of mine, a married couple who both had graduate degrees in English. I stayed in their guest room, which also happened to be their library. It was heaven! Every night, I'd retire to bed but stay up an extra hour browsing their shelves. It was like having a personal, private bookstore.

I'm definitely a bookshelf snooper, but my most memorable moment came when I was helping friends, who'd just gotten married (he was nearly 50, she was 19. Yes, there's a story there), move to a new house. One of the boxes I carried had been hand labeled "Books: religion and erotica."

Judy, your comment has me *actually* laughing out loud, instead of just typing it... of course, my first question: was it labeled in by his hand, or hers? Julie, I once interviewed a nonagenarian in Newport (cf. Judy; there's a story there... ) whose personal library had taken over the top floors of the house like so much ivy. If I could have persuaded him to let me stay for a week or three, I would have been in hog heaven.

And to think I thought I was the only odd ball that liked to book snoop. I've got a smile on my face knowing I'm one of many that takes great pleasure in sizing up someone's library.

My piano teacher when I was a kid responded affirmatively when I begged to borrow a book from her laden shelves. Much to my surprise, she whipped out a home made book card...those things that used to be in the front of library books...and told me to write down my name and informed me of my due date! Upon questioning she said she had gotten tired of loaned books not coming home. Needless to say I happily complied (and returned on time!)

Just a comment more for our respected blogger and/or PW: some of us have eyes that are not in the teen years any more. The last comment asked me to type characters, one of which was in a very light yellow that I had to really peer at. Can you give us a break and forbid the use of pastels?

Another book-snooper here. I continue to be shocked that my own siblings don't have that many books, although I gather that one of my sisters-in-law just passes hers on to friends. I make sure the kids have lots.

I admit to some snobbery here. Our house is packed with books--they are far and away the predominant element of our decor. When people come over for the first time and don't even acknowledge the walls and walls of books (much less snoop for titles and subjects), I make an unfavorable judgment about their character.

OK, here's a poser for you... What would a nice, cookie-baking little old lady in a small Texas town miles from anywhere be doing with a late-40s edition of Aleister Crowley's Magick In Theory & Practice on her shelf?!

I love to book snoop even if it's just to see what book interest I have in common with other people.

About 10 years into our marriage, my husband and I moved from Berkeley to a small town in Northern CA to raise our children. At that time (1991), the cost of moving was charged by the pound. We had so many books that it cost us a fortune to move. Our movers told us they had been moving people for 7 years and had never seen a family with so many books! I am still boasting about it (as you can see). I have a masters in English and my husband has his bachelors in Film. Our oldest (of three) is in her senior year at San Jose State U. and will graduate with a degree in Journalism. Every year, I pare down our collection and take books to the library to donate, but they continue to proliferate. So many books, so little time! Amy www.wozabooks.com

I find myself looking not just at people’s collections, but books in movies or in magazines. I remember how proud I was when I found some history books in an Architectural Digest that my mom had many moons ago. I also have some of the same books as the Robin Williams character in Good Will Hunting had in his office (civil war books??). You have got to snoop, otherwise you might not know what kind of people you are dealing with and books are a reflection of the soul! Peace, Joe

I remember my parents book shelves... alot of 1st editions of Agatha Christie (british, not american.. ) They had quite of few "it" books of the day, Leon Uris, Norman Mailer, Some Hemingway ( which I do not think was ever cracked. I also remember a dog earred copy of Jonathan Livinston Seagull and lot of very good cookbooks. My parents, and step-parents were and are readers. The sheves change constantly. I think I got my love of non-fiction and mystery from my Dad, and the love of a good story ( not Joan Collins story, but Anita Shreve type stories) from my mother. Not sure where I got the love of the English novel. Most people who look at my booksshelves are perplexed- they are a little enigmatic. And that is just the way I want it!!

I knew I had raised a reader when my daughter, 11 at the time, called me from a babysitting job to inform me that "these people have NO books in their house. Isn't that a shame?"

I love book snooping and book snoopers. What better way to know a person and start a conversation than through books? I know it's going to be a great dinner party when a guest enters my house and immediately starts inspecting my bookshelves. When I visit someone else's house, the only thing I find more disappointing than no bookcases is finding lofty books that look like they've never been read displayed a bit too prominently.