Book
The library : a catalogue of wonders / Stuart Kells.
From the Bodleian, the Folger and the Smithsonian to the fabled libraries of Middle Earth and other fictional libraries, Kells explores the bookish places that capture our imaginations. The result is a fascinating and engaging exploration of libraries as places of beauty and wonder, a celebration of books as objects and an account of the deeply personal nature of these hallowed spaces.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781640090200 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: xvi, 269 pages ; 24 cm
- Edition: First Counterpoint hardcover edition.
- Publisher: Berkeley, California : Counterpoint, 2018.
- Copyright: ©2017
Content descriptions
| General Note: | "First published in 2017 by The Text Publishing Company, Melbourne, Australia"--Title page verso. |
| Formatted Contents Note: | Infinity -- A library with no books: oral traditions and the songlines -- The pleasure of books -- The last days of Alexandria: ancient books and their storage -- Books in bed -- In pursuit of perfection: the rise of the codex -- Fools in love -- "A damned sewerful of men": Renaissance rediscoveries -- Mean-spirited collectors -- Free for all: the abundance of books in the printing era -- Curiosities -- "What the Barbarians did not do": the Vatican Library -- Delicacies -- Secret histories: tricks and treasures in library design -- Found -- Keepers of books: the best and worst librarians in history -- Vandals -- The quintessence of debauchery: Heber, Byron, and Barry -- Writers' libraries -- Execration upon Vulcan: libraries destroyed by fire and war -- Library fauna -- The Count: book looters and thieves -- Book wheels and machines -- "The interior of a library should whisper": The Pierpont Morgan Library -- When disaster strikes -- For the glory: The Folger Shakespeare Library -- Birth -- Killing a monk: fantasy libraries -- Death -- A love letter: libraries for the future -- Afterlife. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Books and reading. Libraries > History. Libraries > Appreciation. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Branch | 027.009 Kel | 31681010110278 | NONFIC | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
Presents a history of the library, describing some of the famous libraries of the past, the imaginary libraries in various literary works, the different types of libraries found around the world, and the complex relationships that people can have with books and libraries. - Baker & Taylor
An author and book-trade historian describes his travels around the world to different types of libraries and discusses how he began to notice amazing and interesting patterns that replicated themselves in these collections over the centuries. - Perseus Publishing
"Excellent . . . Tracks the history of that greatest of all cultural institutions." âThe Washington Post
Libraries are much more than mere collections of volumes. The best are magical, fabled places whose fame has become part of the cultural wealth they are designed to preserve. Some still exist today; some are lost, like those of Herculaneum and Alexandria; some have been sold or dispersed; and some never existed, such as those libraries imagined by J.R.R. Tolkien, Umberto Eco, and Jorge Luis Borges, among others.
Ancient libraries, grand baroque libraries, scientific libraries, memorial libraries, personal libraries, clandestine libraries: Stuart Kells tells the stories of their creators, their prizes, their secrets, and their fate. To research this book, Kells traveled around the world with his young family like modern-day âLibrary Tourists.â Kells discovered that all the worldâs libraries are connected in beautiful and complex ways, that in the history of libraries, fascinating patterns are created and repeated over centuries. More important, he learned that stories about libraries are stories about people, containing every possible human drama.
The Library is a fascinating and engaging exploration of libraries as places of beauty and wonder. Itâs a celebration of books as objects, a celebration of the anthropology and physicality of books and bookish space, and an account of the human side of these hallowed spaces by a leading and passionate bibliophile. - Perseus Publishing
A love letter to libraries and to their makers and protectors, a celebration of books as objects, and an account of how the idea of the library continues to possess our imagination Libraries are much more than mere collections of volumes. The best are magical, fabled places whose fame has become part of the cultural wealth they are designed to preserve.
Some still exist today; some are lost, like those of Herculaneum and Alexandria; some have been sold or dispersed; and some never existed, such as those libraries imagined by J.R.R Tolkien, Umberto Eco, and Jorge Luis Borges, among others.
Ancient libraries, grand baroque libraries, scientific libraries, memorial libraries, personal libraries, clandestine libraries: Stuart Kells tells the stories of their creators, their prizes, their secrets and their fate. To research this book, Kells traveled around the world with his young family like modern day 'Library Tourists.' Kells discovered that all the world's libraries are connected in beautiful and complex ways, that in the history of libraries, fascinating patterns are created and repeated over centuries. More importantly, he learned that stories about libraries are stories about people, containing every possible human drama.
The Library is a fascinating and engaging exploration of libraries as places of beauty and wonder. It's a celebration of books as objects, a celebration of the anthropology and physicality of books and bookish space, and an account of the human side of these hallowed spaces by a leading and passionate bibliophile. - Random House, Inc.
""Excellent . . . Tracks the history of that greatest of all cultural institutions." 'The Washington Post
Libraries are much more than mere collections of volumes. The best are magical, fabled places whose fame has become part of the cultural wealth they are designed to preserve. Some still exist today; some are lost, like those of Herculaneum and Alexandria; some have been sold or dispersed; and some never existed, such as those libraries imagined by J.R.R. Tolkien, Umberto Eco, and Jorge Luis Borges, among others.
Ancient libraries, grand baroque libraries, scientific libraries, memorial libraries, personal libraries, clandestine libraries: Stuart Kells tells the stories of their creators, their prizes, their secrets, and their fate. To research this book, Kells traveled around the world with his young family like modern'day 'Library Tourists.' Kells discovered that all the world's libraries are connected in beautiful and complex ways, that in the history of libraries, fascinating patterns are created and repeated over centuries. More important, he learned that stories about libraries are stories about people, containing every possible human drama.
The Library is a fascinating and engaging exploration of libraries as places of beauty and wonder. It's a celebration of books as objects, a celebration of the anthropology and physicality of books and bookish space, and an account of the human side of these hallowed spaces by a leading and passionate bibliophile.
