When I was in high school, I wished having my own private library where I could pick up a book from the shelves and read it anytime I wanted to. I even had my father add it to his architectural plan when he was building our home in Manila. That obsession grew stronger as I got older. When I moved to the United States in 1967, I began buying books and slowly but surely began to build my own book collection. I started with the classics. My first purchase was The Good Earth by Pearl Buck from the International Collectors Library where I bought few books. Then I joined the Literary Guild and the Book of the Month Club. I also bought accounting and finance books, cookbooks, gardening books and memoirs. By the time, I got married in 1970, my book collection had grown tremendously. The best part of it was that I got married to someone who had a huge book collection of his own plus some inherited from his parents – civil war books, Great War books, sportman’s books and much more. My most expensive books came from the Easton Press.

Today, my library is about 3,000 volumes, give or take a few. I have not really counted them but my house is packed with books everywhere – downstairs, upstairs, on the hallways, in the kitchen where my cookbooks are and on the coffee tables and side tables. I have books with multiple editions. I haven’t stopped buying books. Since I can’t go on vacation because my husband is having dialysis everyday, I immerse myself in books during my free time. I have several bookcases around the house. Nothing on the floor yet. Give me time. I should call my home The Library.

I decided to list my books here as I take inventory of them. It might take me a while to list them all but I plan to list them all here. I will start downstairs and then move on upstairs. I’ll number them so I can take a good count. So here we go:

Credenza by the Back Door:

1. Atlas of America, Our Nation in Maps, Facts, and Pictures – Reader’s Digest
2. Long Island – Our Story – Newsday
3. Home Town Long Island – Newsday
4. Debrett’s The Stately Homes of Britain – Sibylla Jane Flower
5. Home Collection – Clive Christian
6. Castles in Wales – Forward by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales
7. Lowcountry Scenes – Jon Wongrey
8. Empress of the Garden – G. Michael Shoup
9. Floral Style – The Art of Arranging Flowers – Vena Lefferts with John Kelsey
10. The Complete Flower Arranger – Pamela Westland
11. A Flower for Every Day – Nigel Colborn
12. Impressionist Bouquets – Derek and Carolyn Fell
13. Japanese Flower Arrangement – Enchanting Ikebana – Reiko Takenaka
14. An Eighteenth-Century Garland – The Flower and Fruit Arrangements of Colonial Williamsburg – Louise B. Fisher

Bookcase near the Back Door:

15. Kobbe’s Complete Opera Book – Edited & Revised by The Earl of Harewood
16. For Whom the Bell Tolls  – Ernest Hemingway
17. The Sun Also Rises – Ernest Hemingway
18. A Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway
19. The Old Man and The Sea -Ernest Hemingway
20. To Have and Have Not – Ernest Hemingway
21. The Dangerous Summer – Ernest Hemingway
22. Across the River and Into The Trees – Ernest Hemingway
23. Islands In The Stream – Ernest Hemingway
24. Winner Take Nothing – Ernest Hemingway
25. A Moveable Feast – Ernest Hemingway
26. The Garden of Eden – Ernest Hemingway
27. True at First Light – Ernest Hemingway
28. In Our Time – Ernest Hemingway
29. The Fifth Column – Ernest Hemingway
30. The Torrents of Spring – Ernest Hemingway
31. Death in the Afternoon – Ernest Hemingway
32. Green Hills of Africa – Ernest Hemingway
33. The Snows of Kilimanjaro – Ernest Hemingway
34. By-Line Ernest Hemingway – Ernest Hemingway
35. Men Without Women – Ernest Hemingway
36. The Jungle Book, The Second Jungle Book, Just So Stories, Puck of Pook’s Hill, Stalky & Co., Kim – Rudyard Kipling
37. Complete Works – Edgar Allan Poe
38. Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell
39. Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
40. Les Miserables – Victor Hugo
41. Don Quixote – Cervantes
42. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare – Volume 1
43. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare – Volume 2
44. Captain Horatio Hornblower I Beat to Quarters – C.S. Forester
45. Captain Horatio Hornblower II Ship of the Line – C.S. Forester
46. Captain Horatio Hornblower III Flying Colours – C.S. Forester
47. Plato Selected Dialogues – The Translation of Benjamin Jowett
48. To America – Personal Reflections of an Historian – Stephen E. Ambrose
49. The Travel Diary of a Philosopher Volume One – Count Hermann Keyserling
50. The Travel Diary of a Philosopher Volume Two – Count Hermann Kerserling
51. The American Revolution Vol I Part I – Sir George O. Trevelyan
52. The American Revolution Vol I Part II – Sir George O. Trevelyan
53. The American Revolution Vol II Part I – Sir George O. Trevelyan
54. The American Revolution Vol II Part II – Sir George O. Trevelyan
55. The American Revolution Vol III Part I – Sir George O. Trevelyan
56. The American Revolution Vol III Part II – Sir George O. Trevelyan
57. The American Revolution Vol IV Part I – Sir George O. Trevelyan
58. The American Revolution Vol IV Part II – Sir George O. Trevelyan
59. The Military Novels – Jack Hinton I – Charles Lever
60. The Military Novels – Jack Hinton II – Charles Lever
61. The Military Novels – Harry Lorrequer I – Charles Lever
62. The Military Novels – Harry Lorrequer II – Charles Lever
63. The Military Novels – Charles O’Malley I – Charles Lever
64. The Military Novels – Charles O’Malley II – Charles Lever
65. The Military Novels – Tom Burke I – Charles Lever
66. The Military Novels – Tom Burke II – Charles Lever
67. The Military Novels – Arthur O’Leary – Charles Lever
68. The History of the Rebellion I – Edward Earl of Clarendon
69. The History of the Rebellion II – Edward Earl of Clarendon
70. The History of the Rebellion III – Edward Earl of Clarendon
71. The History of the Rebellion IV – Edward Earl of Clarendon
72. The History of the Rebellion V – Edward Earl of Clarendon
73. The History of the Rebellion VI – Edward Earl of Clarendon
74. The History of the Rebellion VII – Edward Earl of Clarendon
75. The History of the Rebellion VIII – Life of Edward Earl of Clarendon I
76. The History of the Rebellion IX – Life of Edward Earl of Clarendon II
77. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Madame D’Epinay I – Versailles Edition
78. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Madame D’Epinay II – Versailles Edition
79. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Madame D’Epinay III – Versailles Edition
80. Courtiers & Favourties of Royalty – Joseph Fouche I – Versailles Edition
81. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Joseph Fouche II – Versailles Edition
82. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Charles Maurice Talleyrand I – Versailles Edition
83. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Charles Maurice Talleyrand II – Versailles Edition
84. Courtiers & Favourties of Royalty – Henry IV – Versailles Edition
85. Omar Khayyam – Edward Fitzgerald
86. A Royal History of England – The Middle Ages – Antonia Fraser
87. A Royal History of England – The Wars of the Roses – Antonia Fraser
88. A Royal History of England – The Tudors – Antonia Fraser
89. A Royal History of England – The Stuarts – Antonia Fraser
90. A Royal History of England – The House of Hanover – Antonia Fraser
91. A Royal History of England – The House of Windsor – Antonia Fraser
92. Sagen Des Klassischen Altertums – Gustav Schwab
93. Three Greek Plays – Edith Hamilton
94. The Pilgrim’s Progress – John Bunyan
95. My Lady Pokahontas – John Esten Cooke – 1885
96. 84^th Writer’s Digest Writing Competition Collection
97. Treasury of World Masterpieces – Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, Emma – Jane Austen
98. Harold Nicolson Diaries and Letters 1930-1939 – Nigel Nicolson
99. Harold Nicolson The War Years 1939-1945 – Nigel Nicolson
100. Fall of Giants – Ken Follett
101. Winter of the World – Ken Follett
102. Edge of Eternity – Ken Follett
103. World Without End – Ken Follett
104. The Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett
105. Hawaii – James A. Michener
106. As the Crow Flies – Jeffrey Archer
107. Out of Order – Sandra Day O’Connor
108. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 1
109. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 2
110. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 3
111. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 4
112. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 5
113. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 6
114. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 7
115. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 8
116. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 9
117. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 10
118. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 11
119. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 12
120. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 13
121. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 14
122. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 15
123. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 16
124. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 17
125. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 18
126. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 19
127. Encyclopaedia Britannica 1976 Book of the Year
128. 1973 Britannica Yearbook of Science and the Future
129. The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants
130. The 2000 Philippines Yearbook – Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation

Bookcase on the Living Room left side facing the Kitchen:

131. New Arabian Nights The Dynamiter – Robert Louis Stevenson
132. The Wrong Box The Ebb Tide Island Nights Entertainment – Robert Louis Stevenson
133. Master of Ballantrae Weir of Hermiston Poems – Robert Louis Stevenson
134. Inland Voyage Travels Amateur Emigrant Silverado Squatters – Robert Louis Stevenson
135. Virginibus Puerisque Memories and Portraits Men and Books – Robert Louis Stevenson
136. Kidnapped David Balfour – Robert Louis Stevenson
137. Treasure Island The Black Arrow – Robert Louis Stevenson
138. St Ives The Misadventures of John Nicholson Story of a Lie Body-Snatcher – Robert Louis Stevenson
139. Merry Men Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Prince Otto – Robert Louis Stevenson
140. The Wrecker – Robert Louis Stevenson
141. The Winter of our Discontent – John Steinbeck
142. The Short Novels of John Steinbeck – John Steinbeck
143. The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
144. The Sun Also Rises – Ernest Hemingway
145. For Whom The Bell Tolls – Ernest Hemingway
146. A Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway
147. Little Dorrit Vol. 1 – Charles Dickens
148. Little Dorrit Vol. 2 – Charles Dickens
149. Martin Chuzzlewit Vol. 1 – Charles Dickens
150. Martin Chuzzlewit Vol. 2 – Charles Dickens
151. Dombey and Son Vol. 1 – Charles Dickens
152. Dombey and Son Vol. 2 – Charles Dickens
153. Pickwick Papers Vol. 1 – Charles Dickens
154. Dickens’s Complete Works – Pickwick Papers Vol. 2 – Charles Dickens
155. David Copperfield Vol. 1 – Charles Dickens
156. David Copperfield Vol. 2 – Charles Dickens
157. Dickens’s Complete Works – Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
158. Dickens’s Complete Works – Uncommercial Traveller – Charles Dickens
159. War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
160. Paradise Lost and Other Poems – John Milton
161. Homer – The Odyssey – Translated by Robert Fitzgerald
162. Paradise Lost and Other Poems – John Milton
163. Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
164. The Travels of Marco Polo – Translated by William Marsden
165. Seven Pillars of Wisdom – T.E. Lawrence
166. The Age of Fables – Bulfinch
167. The Way of All Flesh – Samuel Butler
168. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austin
169. Collected Sonnets – Edna T. Vincent Millay
170. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Duke of Richelieu I – M.F. Barriere
171. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Duke of Richelieu II – M.F. Farriere
172. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Duke of Richelieu III – M.F. Barriere
173. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Empress of Josephine I
174. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Empress of Josephine II
175. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Marmontel I – Marmontel
176. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Marmontel II – Marmontel
177. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Cardinal de Retz
178. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Madama Du Barri I – Translated by H.T. Riley
179. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Madama Du Barri II – Translated by H.T, Riley
180. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Madama Du Barri III – Translated by H. T. Riley
181. Courtiers & Favourites of Royalty – Madama Du Barri IV – Translated by H.T. Riley

Book Box #1 – Read

182. The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown

183. Angels & Demons – Dan Brown

184. The Proposal – Mary Balogh

185. The Secret Mistress – Mary Balogh

186. The Inn of Rose Harbor – Debbie Macomber

187. The Lady of the Rivers – Philippa Gregory

188. The Queen’s Vow – C.W. Gortner

189. Only Time Will Tell – Jeffrey Archer

190. Rough Justice – Jack Higgins

191. Raised From The Ground – Jose Saramago

192. The Great Silence – Juliet Nicolson

193. French Silk – Sandra Brown

194. The Buccaneers – Edith Wharton

195. The Bells – Richard Harville

196. Flapper – Joshua Zeitz

197. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet – Jamie Ford

198. Happy Valley – Patrick White

199. Marley & Me – John Grogan

200. Howards End – E.M. Forster

201. Below Stairs – Margaret Powell

202. Inside the Dream Place – Sherill Tippins

Book Box #2 – Read

203. The Only Way to Cross – John Maxtone-Graham

204. Leadership – Rudolph W. Giuliani

205. Folly Beach – Dorothea Benton Frank

206. Shem Creek – Dorothea Benton Frank

207. Surgeon Spy – Fletcher C. Derrick Jr.

208. Order of Darkness – Philippa Gregory

209. The Right People – Stephen Birmingham

210. Fatal Inheritance – Catherine Shaw

211. The Landower Legacy – Victoria Holt

212. Power of a Woman – Barbara Taylor Bradford

213. Capital of the World – David Wallace

214. Wisdom of the 90s – George Burns

215. Escaping Into The Open – Elizabeth Berg

216. Black Monday – Tim Metz

217. Rescue at Los Banos – Bruce Henderson

218. Mrs. Lincoln Dressmaker – Jennifer Chiaverini

219. Dorchester Terrace – Anne Perry

220. Blind Justice – Anne Perry

221. The Winter Rose – Jennifer Donnelly

222. Rose Cottage – Mary Stewart

223. Midnight Runner – Jack Higgins

224. The Glitter and the Gold – Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1-50 — Updated – July 18, 2016

51-130 — Updated July 24, 2016

131-181 – Updated Sept. 13, 2016

182-224 – Updated Dec. 10, 2016