Libraries

If you love books, you probably also love libraries. For me, they are magical places filled with knowledge, imagination, mystery, potential, change, adventure, and endless possibilities. This book is a collection of stunning photographs of some of the finest, grandest libraries in the world. Höfer’s photography showcases breathtaking views of BNF Paris, Trinity College Library Dublin, Biblioteca Angelica Roma, Real Gabinete Portugues de Leitura Rio de Janeiro, and many more. The beginning of the book is graced with an essay by Umberto Eco, the brilliant Italian writer. He discusses his ideal library after an excerpt from Jorge Luis Borges’s Library of Babel. The essay is classic Eco, with equal amounts erudition, tongue-in-cheek criticism, and serious humor; it adds immeasurably to the beauty of this large book. This is a fun book to page through and play the arm chair library goer, imagining the many unique tomes one could find amidst the backdrop of some of the most beautiful libraries on the planet.