Part 2 of Making Sense of the Stacks: 800s

800s: Literature, or Belles-Lettres

Shakespeare

Trivia: Shakespeare is one of the few writers to have his own Dewey Decimal number, all to himself:  822.23.

Dewey arranged literature by country (of writer, not the story), beginning with the United States, then Britain and Old English (hence Shakespeare's classification), followed by Germany, then Romance Languages (French, mostly), then Italian, Spanish, Latin, Greek, and finally everything else.  Thus, Don Quixote in English-translation or en Español, might be in the 860s instead of FIC for fiction.  Homer's Odyssey is 883 because it was Greek.  If you are interested in critiques, adaptations, or analysis of a classic, they should be sitting next to the book itself in the 800s; however, at Ruidoso Public Library, many of the classics are in FIC (for fiction) by author's last name, so you may have to check two different places.  We have the Cliff Notes for many titles, as well as some short audio CDs on why people enjoyed certain classics.  If you have even less time, 60 Second Recap may offer some humor to inspire you.

Makovsky's Muse of Poesie

Writing guides, for citations, letters, or speeches, are before 810.  Anthologies of poems, essays, or plays follow.  The 810s are full of humurous books, too, such as Dave Barry or Will Rogers.  Also, this is where to look for an anecdote or quote for your speech, notes to write in a condolence card, or toasts to give at any occasion.

This may not confuse you, but it caught me: Languages are 400s, so you may read English translations or find original texts in the 800s for Literature, if you need a dictionary or to learn the language's grammar, check my upcoming post on the 400s.

I'd love to hear any stories or questions you have about looking for something at the library, either in the comments below or by email at jennferstubbs at ruidoso dash nm dot gov.