Paranoid question about bookshelves

I have very limited book shelf space, & have decided to get rid of a piece of furniture to make room for another bookshelf. I have room for a 4 foot wide floor to ceiling shelf. The space I have available is along a wall which has a bath/shower on the other side of it. Would that be a bad spot for books (possible moisture)?

I did have a stack of books along that wall on the floor, & the bottom book in the stack molded-- don't know why, though. The other books in the stack were fine.

OOH! Space for Bookshelves!! Generally, having a bookcase on the reverso side of a bathroom wall shouldn't be a problem. On the other hand, you've also a moldy book. You're going to have to wash down that area. Don't skimp on the bleach.

Is it possible that you might have a cat or a dog that could have ~relieved~ itself there; or maybe it's spillage from some really terrific party you threw?

Make sure the bookcase has some sort of center support mechanism. With a 4-foot span, the shelves will sag under the weight of the books (unless they're about an inch thick).

I'd make sure water doesn't run down behind the bath onto the floor. The odd mouldy book is not a disaster -as long as it's not your Shakespeare First Folio - but damp floorboards might give you lots of trouble.

Tips on treating moldy books on this thread.

Thanks for the tips, everyone!

2: I have a cat! I did not think of that. If I had caught him relieving himself on my books, well, he probably would have hid from me for days. I hope that's not what happened, but it could be.

I actually am looking at some shelves that are 24" wide & I was going to put two of them side by side to make 4 feet. I'm glad you mention it, though, because I have some 4 foot wall shelving that I made myself & I might need to support it a little more.

4: Thanks for the link! What a great group that is-- glad to have found it.