How To Pack Books

[woodwardiocom]

-Trust me, I do this a lot:

1. Get yourself some U-Haul small boxes, or other boxes that measure about 12" by 12" by 16".	2. Start with the hardcovers and trade paperbacks (I'll call them both "hardcovers" here). Anything bigger than a standard paperback, but not quartos and weird-shaped stuff. Put the smallest hardcover in one corner, spine in, and the largest hardcover in the adjacent corner, also with the spine in.
3. On top of the big hardcover, stack more hardcovers, getting gradually smaller. On top of the small hardcover, do the reverse. This will use about 2' of books. If there's a narrow gap in between, fill it with an odd-shaped skinny book or a paperback.	4. In the remaining space, put in some paperbacks, spine up. The batch south of the big hardcovers goes horizontally, the batch south of the small hardcovers goes vertically.
5. Put a second row of paperbacks on top of the first.	6. And a third row. That'll total a little under 3' of paperbacks. This should fill the box to the top. (If it's not a U-Haul box, the last row may have to go on its side; U-Haul boxes are exactly three paperbacks deep.) Fill in any gaps with tiny books or skinny paperbacks. Things probably won't come out even, so a few boxes will be all paperbacks or hardcovers.

Bonus points to whoever identifies the most books, not counting Harry Potter 5.

Comments

[thorkell.livejournal.com]

I think I see Contact by Carl Sagan and some toes....

[archangelbeth]

Although, if you have more paperbacks than hardbacks, I found a good system in packing two columns of two rows of paperbacks (placed flat, spines touching), and filling the spare space with hardbacks, placed on their bottoms as if on the shelf, spines touching.

I'd show pictures, but I've unpacked most of the hardbacks by now.

[ceo]

I'm definitely saving this for our move. Though I have a distressingly high percentage of funny-shaped books.

This is probably not entirely compatible with maintaining my loose category sorting, but oh well.

[unquietsoul5.livejournal.com]

Actually I find this sort of packing a bit awkward (having moved more times than I can remember, as well as having moved and packed other people more times than I can remember). Books get heavy REAL FAST. I find it more useful to mix pack them with other things that are light, to reduce back strain (ex: Clothes, Towels, etc.)

If you need to just pack books, milk crates/ dorm crates with the handles in the sides work well for packing and stacking (just don't move them in the rain or snow).

[woodwardiocom.livejournal.com]

Books get heavy REAL FAST.

-Obviously, one should pack to a weight and density one can handle.

[ceo]

Um, yeah. You know those pop-out mover's boxes, that measure roughly 1'x1'x2'? Filling them entirely with books is a Bad Idea.

[woodwardiocom.livejournal.com]

-Yah, even 1' by 1' by 1.33' is the upper edge of what some people can handle. And, when you have to move 60 of them...

[unquietsoul5.livejournal.com]

True, you're probably in better shape than I am in that way, and definitely younger. I've had back problems ever since high school (spent 2 years in a back brace) so I tend to worry about weight loads a lot more than most people.