The Encyclopedia of Military Models

Tidily arranged but not fastidious, this instructional volume educates readers on every aspect of home organization, from basics helpful for even the most inveterate pack rats to minutiae sure to delight hardcore neatniks. The author of The New City Home devotes chapters to every room in the house and begins each with big-picture concepts such as furniture placement and storage, and then moves to small but important details ("when hanging pictures on a wall, line them up along their top edges rather than the bottom of the frames"), finally tackling over-the-top fine points, such as the suggestion "to keep plates from scratching one another, slip a circle of chamois or flannel between each stacked dish." While there is some practical discussion of eliminating excess and getting "rid of one old item for every new one you acquire," the book takes the realistic approach that we all have lots of stuff and need places to put it—and so it gives more suggestions for what to do with the things you have than how to get rid of them completely. Color photos on every page—which could be more modern—demonstrate ideas with aspirational vignettes not impossible to emulate.