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The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World (Hardcover)

by Guillaume de Laubier (Author), Jacques Bosser (Photographer), James H. Billington (Contributor), Laurel Hirsch (translator) (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
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The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World + At Home with Books: How Booklovers Live with and Care for Their Libraries + Decorating with Books (House Beautiful)
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
All of the libraries in the world-whether small or large, public or private-serve the same purpose: to preserve, cherish, or show off the riches of human knowledge. Now, for the first time, an internationally renowned photographer takes the reader on a journey to more than 20 of the most historic of these magical places, all architectural treasures. From the dramatic, baroque Library of the Institut de France in Paris, to the splendid Vatican Library in Rome; from the majestic Royal Library in El Escorial, Spain, to the famed New York Public Library, a Beaux-Arts masterpiece-here are some of the most exquisite libraries of the Western world.

Included are national, scholarly, and religious libraries from 12 countries, which have in common a distinguished heritage and an architectural setting that emphasizes art and culture. The accompanying text traces the history of libraries to the present day, and describes how they came to serve famous personalities and men of letters. Libraries must be counted among civilization's crowning achievements; this elegant book is a fitting tribute to that accomplishment.

About the Author
Guillaume de Laubier is one of France's foremost photographers of interior design. He has undertaken projects all over the world for magazines such as Elle Décoration, Architectural Digest, and Madame Figaro. Jacques Bosser, journalist and translator, has written for Architectural Digest and Connaissance des Arts as well as contributing to Le Dictionnaire international des arts appliqués et du design and Le Dictionnaire international du bijou. James H. Billington has been the Librarian of Congress for more than 15 years.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 248 pages
  • Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (October 1, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0810946343
  • ISBN-13: 978-0810946347
  • Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 11.3 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #80,211 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #23 in  Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Architectural
    #28 in  Books > Arts & Photography > Architecture > Building Types & Styles > Specific Styles

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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90 of 91 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Treasure for Bibliophiles and Architecture Lovers, March 30, 2004
By B. P. Jones (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This beautifully photographed book might appear, at first glance, as another "coffee-table book": that is, a book someone gives you as a gift, which thereafter sits on your coffee table unread. That hasn't been my experience. Since receiving it as a Christmas present from my wife, I find myself picking it up every few weeks, reading about how famous book collections were formed, and gazing at the stunning architecture of libraries built as temples to literature (rather than on the how-many-shelves-can-we-cram-into-this-square-footage principle).
There are university libraries (e.g., Oxford, Trinity College Dublin), royal libraries (Vienna, Prague), religious libraries (The Vatican, and several monasteries), and more democratic ones (The New York Public Library). Most of the libraries are European, except for three: New York, The Library of Congress (which is featured on the cover), and the Boston Athenaeum.
There could be more in the text about the contents of these libraries; the emphasis is more on the sheer physical beauty of these places. And beautiful they are, some of them decorated by leading artists.
Some of these libraries are easy to visit; some are accessible only to scholars with appropriate references. Some, like the library of the French Senate (a serene retreat overlooking the Jardin du Luxembourg), are available to a select few. This delightful volume lets us in, for a while. Enjoy.
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49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Happy books with homes like these!, December 16, 2004
By Michael K. Smith (Gonzales, Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
Speaking as a professional librarian for more than three decades -- someone who upon visiting a city for the first time usually seeks out the main library for a look around -- there are libraries and then there are libraries. Even those in major U.S. cities tend to be utilitarian first (sometimes utilitarian only). Those dating from the 1950s and `60s are generally pretty ugly, as well. For richness and beauty, you have to go overseas to find libraries constructed in an earlier time, when architecture and ornamentation was an end in itself. Except for the small collections kept by monasteries, the library is pretty much an invention of the Renaissance and the Age of Reason. The National Library of Austria, in Vienna, is gorgeously Baroque, with allegorical paintings on the ceilings and narrow staircases concealed behind hidden doors in the stacks. The ever-suspicious Vatican Library still locks its bookcases, filled with bibliographical relics of incalculable value. The Senate Library in Paris is a blend of Neoclassical and Italianate, but it's very much a working library and the old card catalogue has been replaced by computers. I was privileged many years ago to visit the breathtaking library at the Abbey of Saint Gall, home of probably the world's most important collection of surviving incunabula. The curving bookshelves of inlaid wood, the hundreds of carved portraits, arms, and both religious and secular symbols are just incredible. And there's the Bodleian Library at Oxford, the first-ever university collection. And there are more than a dozen others in this beautifully produced volume, of which only three in the United States were deemed worthy of inclusion: the Library of Congress, the New York Public, and the Boston Athenaeum. All of which are practically new buildings compared to the others, but the same principal is at work -- to house knowledge in artistically serene surroundings. Remember the overhead shot of the LC's main Reading Room in *All the President's Men*? That says it all.
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30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Very tastful and satisfying., February 8, 2005
By bonsai724 "bonsai724" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
When I saw this book in a store I was absolutely thrilled, and I decided that I must have it...yet, I paid about $55 for it. For me, it was a worthy price to pay, but when I found this book on Amazon for so much less, I felt that I had to urge others to take this great offer. It is fair enough to say that everyone would like to have high quality things, yet at times we are unable to do so for one or more reasons. Yet this book is so affordable and it maintains a very high quality. It has thick pages and the pictures inside are dark and rich. Overall, this book has brought me much joy, and I hope it will do the same for you.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Library as Sanctuary
The libraries presented here exude supreme reverence for the book and its contents as towering human achievements. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Stephen J. Chow

4.0 out of 5 stars Actually, I wasn't crazy about it (no fault of its own)
I got this book as a special holiday treat one year, and it is a marvelous book full of luscious photographs and histories of places that most of us will never see. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Elizabeth A Triano

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it first, bought it later
I had read the book as part of a reading list assignment. Liked it so much, I decided to buy it as a gift for an old friend who is now enjoying it also.
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5.0 out of 5 stars the title says it all
The great libraries of history have endured such vicissitudes of fortune through the centuries - destruction by revolution, war and fire, dispersal through pilfering,... Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars An invaluable book
This is a marvelous book to whoever loves books.

It presents many important historic libraries in the world; each library is presented in informative and sober texts... Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Libraries
Great pictures and text depict some of the most beautiful libraries in the world! Gives me encouragement and inspiration for my humble library at home!
Published on January 11, 2007 by Kenneth E. Schnepp Jr.

5.0 out of 5 stars Gret serice
Book camme immediately - and was brand new, and in beautiful condition. Thank you so much
Published on August 28, 2006 by Vicki K

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World
What a wonderful book. It is a feast for the eyes and very informative too. It covers many of the major libraries of the world both public and private with an emphasis on the... Read more
Published on August 9, 2006 by A. Edwards

5.0 out of 5 stars Preservation of libraries
"The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World"
is kept on the fireplace mantlepiece
in our library for people to come and
view. Read more
Published on March 10, 2006 by Swimmer cyn

5.0 out of 5 stars No review
I bought it as a gift, didn't take out of plastic cover, so I could not rate it.
Published on March 8, 2006 by Svetlana Andreyev

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