Jerry had 23 action figures and 34 books on a shelf in his room. Later he added 14 more books to the shelf. How many books were on his shelf in all?
Jerry had 23 action figures and 34 books on a shelf in his room. 

This means that the total number of objects on the shelf is 57. 

Later he added 14 more books to the shelf. 

This means that the total number of objects on the shelf is now 71. 

Therefore, the total number of books on the shelf is 71 - 23 = 48.