The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World

Wow! They aren't kidding! These are some beautiful libraries! The cover photograph of the Great Hall of the Library Congress has provided me with something in the way of inspiration, and I sense a new tourist destination for yours truly, the next time I find myself in D.C. Actually, I have a feeling that all of the twenty-three libraries profiled in this gorgeous book will be going on the "to-do" list (which, as it encompasses the "to-read," "to-see" and "to-experience" list, is practically infinite).

This is a book that the reader will want to savor, for although Jacques Bosser's brief descriptions of the history of each library are quite informative, it is Guillaume de Laubier's breathtaking photographs which must surely count as its show more chief attraction. Whether gazing upon the Baroque splendor of The Monastic Library at Wiblingen (Ulm, Germany), the almost-decadent ostentation of the Vatican Library, or the unique (and more democratic) elegance of the New York Public Library, the bibliophile is in some danger of experiencing sensory overload... I'll be blunt: I didn't just savor this book (reading a few profiles a night), I wallowed in it. Ah bliss! show less

The libraries presented here exude supreme reverence for the book and its contents as towering human achievements. One is hard-pressed to doubt the immortality of the texts contained within each binding. Despite the lofty craftsmanship of the art, architecture and the bindings themselves, they have served their highest purpose only if a reader has been invited, if not lured, to match their dignity in the humble pursuit of truth, wisdom, and beauty. Invest the requisite exertion and time to read and contemplate the great books, and you will find the lavishness of even these libraries lacking. Their material riches are first and foremost a catalyst for the enrichment of the soul through the act and art of reading.

Librophiliac Love Letter: show more A Compendium of Beautiful Libraries, by www.curiousexpeditions.org, is extraordinary: http://curiousexpeditions.org/?p=78 show less

A photographic homage to the library as a monument to art and conspicuous consumption of bishops, gentlemen and kings. It remains unclear why and how the twenty-three libraries illustrated and celebrated as "the most beautiful" were selected. A number of neglected worthy candidates come to mind (e.g. the reading room of the British Museum/Library or the Royal Library in Copenhagen). Is beauty really a function of age? At least some modern libraries should have been included and the glaring absence of even a single Asian one is puzzling. The paucity of humans in the pictures reveals a common desire of librarians to protect these precious spaces from visitors. I find the New York Public Library reading room looks much better with actual show more readers at the desks. The rows of empty desks pictured look sad. Overall, a good present for bibliophiles. show less

Being a coffee-table book illustrating a good selection of libraries, mostly European, with emphasis on interior photographs of the books and decoration. As such, it is a good book. I would like to have seen more contemporary libraries; too many people don't realize that they can be very beautiful as well. The worst omission, though, is the near-absence of exterior views; surely with so much supererogation going on indoors, a couple of more architectural pictures would have been worth the space and broadened the audience for this nice book.

Full of big color photos that make you feel like you're standing in the room. Some of them are centerfolds!
This heavy book also has lots of history of the libraries featured, such as owners and how they began, dates of the buildings and restorations, etc. But it's all about the photos here, which is book porn at it's finest.
I first saw this book on a visit to Manhattan where it was at the gift shop of the Fifth Ave. branch, which is glorious and of course, one of the libraries in the book.

This coffee table book should amaze book lovers and give a physical reaction to library lovers. The pictures--and the paper of the pages--are very high quality technically. The book includes a number of foldouts where the picture spans three page size spaces. And the libraries are amazing. I have looked at this book over and over, and for a long time took up valuable 'real estate' on my desk having this book open to one or other libraries. Some of the pictures are jaw-dropping and make one feel like they were setting their feet in the room right then...or traveling back in time one or two hundred years to hear chairs scraping or footfalls.

The drawback to the book includes a) the libraries are all in the Western world (Russia is perhaps show more the only exception), which is perhaps not an issue except that the title is the Most Beautiful Libraries in the World. I have to imagine there are South American (all the beautiful wood in the continent can't have avoided going to bookshelves); Asian and other geographic libraries outside of Europe and the US; b) the libraries seem chosen for a mix of reasons, and one of which seems to be the statuary and art in the library itself. While the pictures are breathtaking, some library denizens might be interested in these factors playing less of a role; and c) the elegant text seems to meander into some 'interesting facts' about each library but most of the comments are historical or art-historical, without the interesting information about collection sizes, who uses the library today, what role does it play in the culture, etc. show less

There are some wonderful photos in this book that capture the joy of great libraries. Those of the John Rylands Library, Manchester are magnificent and capture the spirit and the essence of the place, John Rylands looking down the nave at his wife and widow Enriqueta Augustina.