DH's books in our small flat

I love books, but I agree with you @wiredandtired you certainly can have too many. They need to be pruned like trees!
DH has kept everything from school text books ato every airport potboiler he's ever bought and guidebooks a decade out of date.
He claimed the DC would read the "classics" and they did, but only in the latest editions that the school told them to get, because they wanted the whole class to be on the same page, not the tiny font yellowing print versions we still had several copies each of. (plus people have different ideas of what a classic is now and some of these venerable tomes he's been sitting on for years haven't got a look in. I've culled some of the worst candidates.
I'm mostly a kindle and audible girl now. Better for holidays.
You might have to google this but one of my DC sold a lot of books by scanning the bar codes for a book selling company and they collected them and paid him. I can't remember what it was called. But you could put the cash for the out of date duds and copies towards more effective book cases. Happy pruning.

I wouldn’t be cutting down on my books.

I think the posters who are saying to keep the books, that 500 books could easily fit on two bookcases, etc. do not understand what size a small flat actually is. Same with posters who say they don’t like toys/kids don’t need toys. Children need some toys including books of course! It’s not fair that there may not be room for a child’s toys because of an adult’s very extensive book collection. A home is a home to all occupants.

Your DH needs to put a lot of his books in storage, it won’t be forever unless you plan on staying in your current flat forever. I love books but don’t actually keep loads. Most fiction books once read are passed on/donated except for some absolute favourites that I actually re-read. I keep books related to hobbies and interests but regularly cull them. Anyone coming into our home can see we’re a family who loves books but we don’t have bookcases full. You can love books and reading without your home being over-run with them.

Books over toys any day. My kids never had toys in the living room other than when they were playing with them, but they mostly played in their bedrooms. The toys went back into their rooms at the end of the day or whenever they were finished with what they were doing. Sometimes we had train tracks up for a week or so.

My uncle has a collection of over 200,000 books. They take up much of his house. 500 books is nothing. I probably have more than that I don't consider myself to be a book collector.

I think the posters who are saying to keep the books, that 500 books could easily fit on two bookcases, etc. do not understand what size a small to bed-flat actually is

I've just had a quick count of books in my living room, they're on a half height book case that's 120cm wide, they are double rowed on the shelves.

There's approx 200 on there. Either OP is vastly underestimating how many books they have, especially if the 500 include the ones now in storage! Or her DH's books are not taking up much space at all.

A single shelf around a small living room or double bedroom at picture rail height would easily hold 500 books if they're desperately in the way.

I have a small house, fifty sqm, and about 1000 books. They’re all on shelves so not making clutter. Five hundred is nothing! Im with your OH. Put some of the toys in the storage under the bed and rotate them.

I agree with books being important in a house but I'd place more importance on having lots of children's books. My kids had so many, in their rooms, on the landing, in the living room. I'd find it hilarious when friends would say they had too many books and it'd be like one shelf with about 50 books on. Reading a story was the default whenever they were upset or just at any time. Also seeing parents reading as they get older is more important than seeing books on shelves.

I think we were probably on 500 in our first flat. Now well over 5000, mostly collected secondhand. I would like a cull, or at least one-in-one-out, but I know I won't win on that one. I was amused to see DD playing Minecraft and building a house out of bookshelves - I promise we do have some walls without bookshelves, although the wall behind her bed is lined with them (good space-saving tactic).

@wiredandtired “The books are on shelves all around our living room”

DC aren’t playing on the walls.

keep the books, too many toys isn’t good

I genuinely don't understand this attitude towards hoarding books. No-one loves reading more than me and I have come very recently to e-books, but still buy the occasional proper book. However, when I have finished a book, I know I'm not going to read it again and pass it on to a friend. For me, its the content that I enjoy, not the actual physical book itself.

I get we are all different and for many people it is the actual book that holds the appeal, but I feel quite irritated when people can't put aside their hoarding/hobby for the greater good of their family.

Could you put some shelves up high around the room? I’ve seen bookshelves above the doorframes before.

I love books but we didn't have the space so I got rid of all but my favourites.
Kids take up a lot of space.

Our bookshelves are mounted to the walls. From floor to ceiling. We don't have a lot of m2.

We are both university educated and working in subjects which are book heavy.

My guess is we have around 7000 books. And 3 children. two is at university now.

It works. You can climb them without risks but of course no one is allowed to.

My DH is like this, he has 9 7 foot bookcases. I love to read but I don’t really get it. I buy mine preowned and then donate them to the mini library at my gym or one in my village. Do people keep them to reread?

Don’t be ridiculous. They are toddlers and hardly going be reading adult books for a very long time. Quite selfish of him to take up space like this.

Cabinets for toys below, shelves above?

You don't compromise. You work out how many books he keeps in the home, he picks what ones, the rest go to storage. He rotates as he wants to reread them. Toys are important, so is your space not feeling cluttered, especially at Christmas. The smell of old books isn't great and not everyone likes to read on paper. Keeping them for 12 years, taking up soace in the living room, in case your child might want to read one, is ridiculous.

I used to have hundreds of books, kept in an alcoved cupboard. Took me a while after moving to realise I left them behind.

God knows how you got down to 50 books of your own. I've got (a lot) more than that just in the category of "books I couldn't resist buying but have had no time to read yet". I've culled a lot over the years too but no way would I get rid of 80-90%, which is what you seem to be asking of him. I think you just need better shelves.

Another for team books😉

I’m an avid reader, and keep some books I’ll read again. However, they’re only possessions and can easily be bought again. Nobody rereads every book. Some compromises need to be made where there’s a small child in the house, when one adult has hogged all the shelf storage. Being potentially neurodivergent doesn’t mean you can’t be a fair parent, I would have thought.