>Some of those books might even be strategically placed so that they are in clear view. You can discern a little about someone's interests by what's on their bookshelves, but perhaps not always accurately.

That was VERY obvious with public figures during the last year. I actually laughed a few times at the dichotomy of either partially empty shelves with these weird "poignant" books on prominent display. I usually pondered if they had actually read some of them...