2 comments about Six Books of Euclid.

1. The Byrne book is absolutely gorgeous. Over 130 years ago, Byrne had the idea of removing almost all words from Euclid, and replacing the words with visually obvious color pictures.
   
   His demands on the publishers were tremendous. No color printing of this magnitude had been done before (in the 1800's), and they feared the high cost of the book and the high printing cost would bankrupt them.
   
   They were right. This book destroyed them. It remained an obscure collectors item. Most mathematicians know nothing about this book, and are stunned when they see the pages.
   
   The pages aren't viewable here, but are available at the publisher's site. Well worth a look.
   
   Oh... and Euclid's Elements. Most famous math book in the past 2500 years. This is arguably the best presentation of this material ever made.



2. BYRNE'S EUCLID
   Oliver Byrne's 1847 printing of Euclid's Elements, in which letters and symbols are replaced with yellow, red, blue, and black diagrams, was a tremendous technical printing feat in the mid 19th century, and remains the most unique Elements ever printed. Instead of "triangle ABC is equal to triangle ACD," the triangles are drawn out, in identifying colors, with an equals sign between. Boldly-colored shapes are queerly compared on every page, making the book as surreal as it is playful. Byrne took one of the most important works of Western thought and made a book, a physical book, as unique and memorable as its intellectual content. Edward Tufte's effusive praise for the work is well-deserved.
   
   TASCHEN EDITION
   This reprinting, for the first time in 160 years (!), is a remarkable page for page copy of the original. The corrigenda page and matching errors in the text are preserved - as they of course should be - and the last page even has the "Chiswick: printed by C. Whittingham." type at the bottom. It's such an exact replica, I don't know how they did it. The originals tend to be foxed and browned, but Taschen either found a copy in incredible condition to emulate, or they recreated the whole thing from scratch (?!). The print and paper colors are near-perfectly replicated. The only noticeable difference between this and an 1847 original is the missing thickness of the diagrams. They look thick and painted in the original, while they are flat and printed in the Taschen edition - they're no longer tactile. All in all, though, mark me down as very impressed.
   
   The binding and clamshell case look good on the shelf, and in the case is also an informative (though dry) booklet on Byrne's work.
   
   NOT LOOKING FOR BYRNE'S...
   If you're looking for a more typical copy of Euclid's Elements, I recommend Green Lion Press's edition, which contains all 13 books in a single volume.

2 comments about Penguin 75: Designers, Authors, Commentary (the Good, the Bad . . .).

1. Book covers matter to me. I am a general reader with an appreciation for design. A good cover, as far as I am concerned, has aesthetic intelligence in its own right but must also serve as a pointer to the heart of the content; it should have a respectful, if not amorous dialogue with the content or the author. I happen to think that we are living in something of a golden era of book cover design and the art department at Penguin has contributed to making it so. In celebration of Penguin's benchmark year, Penguin 75 is a neat, affordable art book that presents covers from the last several years, the art director and designer's commentary, and, occasionally, the author's take. For the consumer like me, it is a fascinating look at how covers end up the way they do; for the graphics student, it should be highly instructive.
   
   The collection was edited by Paul Buckley, art director, who also worked as a designer and supervisor on most of the projects. They reflect his aesthetic, which is broad and comes down on the edgy side. He is very happy with the series of classics covers created by comics artists. For me, the designs created by tattoo artists were more successful in terms of giving the temperature of the book within. One of the reasons why this collection and Penguin covers in general succeed is Buckley's willingness to try nontraditional designers. David Byrne, author of The Bicycle Diaries, contributed his own drawing to his cover. Another artist won a contest run through Creativity Magazine. My favorite story is that of who produced the Twitterature cover. Apparently, young interns at Penguin get to do more than run the copy machine.



2. If you love book design, this anniversary edition of PENGUIN 75, really hits the mark. Over the years Penquin paperbacks have been designed and branded to dominate the shelves of every book store I've had the pleasure of browsing. Within this volume you'll discover a collection of exciting new design solutions to some timeless classic titles. Nathaniel Hawthorne and Jane Austen would have been proud!

5 comments about The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession.

1. This book is compelling in that it is highly readable and it is actually an informative story that is well paced and an absolute attention grabber.
   
   The author has managed to capture why I feel the way I do about books. I'm not a collector of rare books per se, but after reading this, I could certainly start down that road.
   
   Her personal way of relaying tidbits about rare books and their collectors also translates well into her passion for finding out about Gilkey.
   
   It is highly readable and truly falls into the category of "can't put it down". If you love books and aren't quite sure why, get this one. A worthy read.



2. There's enough material here for a good magazine article, but not nearly enough for a book.
   The subject, John Gilkey, is not especially interesting. His fascination with books is not based on any
   great understanding of book collecting, but instead based on the rather pathetic notion that stealing books
   will make him a respected--if not respectable--individual.
   
   Bartlett does not bring any deep understanding to her subject--the book is mere reportage devoid
   of insight. On the whole it is a disappointment and the advertising blurbs on the back are even less
   accurate than usual.



3. There are a lot of great elements for a story here - the relatively unknown subculture of book collectors, the dark side of this hobby and the curiously engaging criminal who becomes the focus of the book. But the longer it went, the less it carried my interest. I guess I was expecting the action to heat up more than cool off. I'm glad to have read it, but mildly disappointed it didn't live up to promise. (Probably should be 3.5 stars.) Maybe the material just wasn't there.



4. When I ordered this book, I thought it would be about Daniel Spiegelman, who in 1994 stole roughly $1.8 million in priceless books and manuscripts from Columbia University's Butler Library. Although Spiegelman is briefly mentioned in THE MAN WHO LOVED BOOKS TOO MUCH, the book is about another notorious rare book thief, John Gilkey. Gilkey, unlike Spiegelman, has apparently never made national news headlines. But "John Gilkey" has become a household word among rare book dealers, particularly those who belong to the Antiquarian Bookseller's Association of America (ABAA).
   
   This book is the end product of the author's extensive series of interviews with Ken Sanders (a rare book dealer and the "bibliodick" who caught Gilkey), other ABAA members, Gilkey's family, and Gilkey himself. Although the author in no way condones Gilkey's criminal behavior, she is relatively kind to him. She allows Gilkey to explain to readers for himself why he steals rare books, by simply reporting, more or less neutrally, on what he told her in their interviews. (Some of the interviews take place while Gilkey is in prison, some take place in downtown San Francisco after he is released from prison.)
   
   To say that Gilkey "loves books" is perhaps an overstatement. He is fixated on the idea of owning a rare book collection, because of the enormous cachet that such a collection enjoys. A rare book collection, after all, tells the world that the owner is unquestionably a person of refinement and taste. Gilkey not only sees nothing wrong with "getting" rare books from book dealers, he hates spending his own money on books. He has schemes that make it easy for him to get rare books "free", and he likes the fact that rare books appreciate in value. Put simply, Gilkey steals rare books because he wants them, and because he can't afford to buy them.
   
   This book provides an interesting look into the mind of an unusual, specialized kind of thief. It also offers insight into the rarified world of rare book collectors and dealers. It tells a story, is well researched, is well written, and includes just the right amount of detail, so that the reader doesn't lose interest. This rates 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 stars because the subject matter is limited to the exploits of a single book thief.
   
   As it turns out, there is a book written about Spiegelman (The Book Thief: The True Crimes of Daniel Spiegelman), which I now hope to be able to read.



5. I thought this sounded like an awesome book. It discusses the world of Bibliomania in general and specifically two men are deep into the industry (one who steals rare books and the man whose mission it was to find him). I love books and love learning about them and was excited to learn more about this industry. Overall I was not impressed with this book. The author jumps around between stories, different points of view, and her personal experiences kind of willy nilly. She also doesn't ever really give or get any intriguing insight into why people do these things; besides the conclusions that anyone could make with a couple minutes of thought.
   
   I listened to this on audio book, which I would not recommend, the lady who read the story kind of mumbled and didn't differentiate between characters at all.
   
   From what I gathered Bartlett started researching this topic as a newspaper article and it grew into a book. You can definitely tell. This would have been find as a newspaper feature but as a book it left a lot to be desired. Bartlett mainly focuses on John Gilkey, a reknown rare book thief, and Ken Sanders, a Bibliodick set on catching book thieves.
   
   The most positive part of this book is the look into the world of rare book dealing. Some of this information is very interesting. Unfortunately for me that was the most positive part of this book.
   
   Bartlett switches between Gilkey's stories and Sanders' stories without much organization or reason. Then she intersperses sections on how she feels she fits into the world of bibliomania and what her thoughts on the whole issue are. She spends quite a bit of time sympathizing with Gilkey and not nearly enough time discussing the impacts of his book theft. Towards the end of the book there is one lady whose story she tells briefly, that gives you a bit of an idea of what kind of impact stealing a $5000 book has on a rare book store, but that's it.
   
   I failed to find Gilkey as intriguing as the author did. Gilkey was a plain old stupid criminal, the only thing that sets him apart are his calm attitude and his complete lack of morality. Although I guess a lot of criminals lack morality. Gilkey wasn't even clever and most of the time seemed to be just plain old lucky. I was hoping for a tale of clever deception and what I got was a tale of a criminal with some luck who was up against an inefficient system of law that has bigger things to worry about than stolen books.
   
   Sanders was a more interesting person and he really seemed to make some changes in the overall system that helped catch book thieves.
   
   The conclusions that Bartlett draws are less than awe-inspiring. Basically people collect things because they want people to admire them. I was disappointed that the whole build up in this book leaves us with that basic message. I know this is a non-fiction book but the closure of it was also pretty...well...lame. At the end of the book not much had changed from the beginning. As the reader we know a smidge more about rare book collecting and some might learn more about collecting as a type of disability. Personally I didn't learn anything I didn't already know about people who are crazy about collecting things.
   
   Overall, this short book seemed like a much longer read than books twice its length. There is some interesting information; but it is bogged down by constant switches in who is telling what story, a lack of empathy for the people being stolen from, and only minimal insight into why people do the things they do. Basically I thought it was boring and a waste of time. I almost stopped listening to it on more than one occasion but kept telling myself "really it's not that long, you should be able to get through this...". I will not be picking up any of Bartlett's future works.

5 comments about Bushido : Legacies of the Japanese Tattoo.

1. I was disappointed with this book.
   I'm a big fan of Japanese tattoo, but this book only shows Yakuza style tattoos, whole body, men only (there's only one woman tattoed in the whole book).
   The pictures are mostly shots of the whole body, so you cannot see the details of the tattoos clearly.
   There are only old school tattos, nothing from the more modern, contemporary Japanese style.
   I expected to see at least a few cool dragons, koi fish, cherry blossoms, colors, but you get more of the rough drawings, demons, ugly faces, and so on.
   If you're looking for something very specific on this theme, this book might be interesting. But if you want a broader view of Japanese tattoo, forget it.



2. Insightful book on perhaps one the richest forms of tattooing. Descriptive text, great quality images, a must have for anybody willing to learn about the history of japanese tattooing, and what it really means, especially with so much horrible tattoos walking around us today. COP IT.



3. I recommend this book to anyone thinking of getting a Japanese tattoo, it has great pictures of true Japanese tattoos. Because if you get a Japanese tattoo from someone that does not know anything about the art, you are going to end up with a garbage tattoo. I also recommend this book to anyone that just wants to learn more about the art, even if you do not plan on getting a tattoo.



4. Great pictures, amazing details in each tattoo art... you will spend so much time just finding the magic behind every image.
   Like graphic designer and martial artist I really enjoy this book. Also, you will learn a lot about the japanese tattoo tradition and the samurai culture.



5. A very interesting and colorful book. I enjoyed reading it and looking at all of the pictures. Lots of good info here. Lots of writing about Horiyoshi III, including photographs of his studio and museum. A great book.

5 comments about ABC for Book Collectors.

1. I don't really have anything to add except that on the ILAB (International League of Antiquarian Booksellers) website, the PDF version is available for free download. It's now on my Kindle.



2. Great book which came highly recommended by serious collectors. This is a great book for bibliophiles, but for general book lover this work is somewhat highly priced. This book teaches one the lingo of book talk and contains names on pages, cover, jacket, etc.
   
   I would probably go as far as saying that this book is definitely over rated. Author is well known in book circles, therefore anyone who's who in book collecting business will give a high regard to this work.
   
   Generally speaking, other than interesting remarks like 'this page is called verso' its just a dictionary of book terms. Most, if not all of the price guides contain same information such as 'Official Price Guide to Collecting Books' and 'Book Collectors Price Guide'.
   
   For antique book collector this work is a must have, but for general collector price guide will suffice.



3. Book collecting seems to be in growing exponentially with increasing on-line sources, but the John Carter/Nicholas Barker book, first published in the 1950's and updated many times since then (now, I believe, the 8th edition) remains the best source for terminology and understanding the process of (physically) making books -- at least pre-P.O.D.



4. This book can be hard to come by (you can order it from Amazon but just try to actually GET it from them--I gave up after 4 months and used an Amazon 3rd party seller). But it's worth hunting for. A wealth of information and handy reference volume for the serious collector and serious bookseller.



5. Written by bibliographer John Carter (1905-1975), and originally published in 1952, this 232-page compendium of information and insights has long been considered the "how-to bible" for dedicated antiquarians, bibliophiles, and specialty lib-rarians with respect to locating, evaluating, and acquiring rare and out-of-print titles. Now in a completely revised, expanded, and re-set eighth edition, the ABC For Book Collectors is additionally enhanced with an informative introduction by Nicolas Barker (a personal friend of the late John Carter and the man who is responsible for the updates and revisions of this eighth edition). Among the subject authoritatively covered (and arranged in more than 490 alphabetically presented entries) are technical terms used in book collecting and bibliography; auctions, book conditions, facsimiles and fakes, "points", rarity, and more. This new addition provides up-to-date information on web-based book collecting (including eBay sales). The ABC For Book Collectors is a seminal and essential reference shelf component for dealers and collectors, and will prove of immense interest to authors, publishers, librarians, bibliophiles, bibliographers, and reviewers as well!

5 comments about The Dames, Dolls and Delinquents: A Collector's Guide to Sexy Pulp Fiction Paperbacks.

1. This book is buxotically perfect! I wish folks still painted book covers like this.The covers represented are sextastic! I was not dissapointed.



2. This book is a steamy collection of tantalizing eye-candy! My friends and I have fun paging through and taking turns reading the suggestive titles. Here are some of my favorites: "She Tried To Be Good," "Her Candle Burns Hot!," "There's One in Every Town," "The Girl Who Killed Things," "Adam and Two Eves," and "Untamed Lust." We always end up blushing and giggling!



3. Just a great book and a wonderful look back at the 40's,50's and 60's. Sexy, violent, socially revealing and exciting art. I throughly enjoyed every page of this book.



4. this is a great collection of pulp covers, well produced and worth the money for fans of pin-up, pulp, kitsch and babes



5. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this book looked. Usually titles for collectors, from my experience, tend to look very dull and unimaginative (Schiffer books in particular) probably on the basis that they are only a visual checklist of what is available and presentation doesn't matter. Fortunately Krause think book buyers deserve something better and it showed when I looked through these interesting pages.
   
   The seven hundred covers get a good showing with none of them angled or arranged in contrived graphic presentations. They all have nice drop shadows which lifts them off the page and the nine chapter opening spreads get a pleasant graphic treatment, too. This all looks a lot better than the comparable Sin-A-Rama: Sleaze Sex Paperbacks of the Sixties, which features many of the same covers.
   
   As with any down-market product individually they tend to look like trash but collect lots of them together and visually they come alive. Virtually none of these covers have any design potential and why should they. The publishers clearly knew their market and pitched to it with gusto. Artists like Bilbrew, Avati, Edwards, Maguire, Popp or Bill Ward made a living (sometimes rather precariously) churning out the same female form but concentrating on the bits that caught the male imagination. The first sixteen pages have an interesting essay about the artists and how the paintings were used on covers.
   
   My only real criticism of the contents is that there are far too many British covers. Their extremely tacky art and crude title lettering make them stand out even from the few dull American titles. Perhaps it was an editorial mistake to have so many covers (the highest number of any artist) by British illustrator Reginald Heade. I thought his work was really second-rate when compared to many of the American illustrators in the book.
   
   Though the book's title relates to paperbacks I was surprised to see a few pulp men's magazine covers included. If these interest you check out the stunning Men's Adventure Magazines, with over a thousand covers in color.
   
   'Dames, Dolls & Delinquents' is an affectionate look back at a slice of mass-market pop culture that sold in the millions.
   
   ***SEE SOME INSIDE PAGES by clicking 'customer images' under the cover.
   
   

5 comments about The Art of American Book Covers: 1875-1930.

1. Richard Minsky has created an outstanding book that brings to life many of the fantastic American book covers from 1875 to 1930. The real star is Minsky's selection of dazzling book bindings that show off this important period. He has created an instruction manual for the novice to the professional on how to look at book bindings in a new way, showing us an important art form that has influenced many of the other arts during the same period. Minsky has created a fusion of sumptuous illustrations with informative text that makes this an important book to have in your library.



2. Richard Minsky's The Art of American Book Covers: 1875-1930 is a work that fully merits the term amazing. He covers one of book publishing's most creative periods, when covers took on some of the qualities of sculpture.
   
   Minsky is uniquely qualified to guide us through the history of a time when the book as art merged with the book as industrial object. He was a -- some would say the -- founder of the modern book art movement, whose influence inspired countless artists. He revolutionized the concept of the book by detaching it from its purely literary conventions and concentrating on the ways in which books provoke love and hate in the social milieu by their very existence. Using simple office equipment such as the inkjet printer, he also showed how the author/artist could escape the control of the industrial publishing complex and create works that were products of individual thought rather than groupthink.
   
   The Art of American Book Covers mainly consists of the covers themselves, which are shown in full color, along with brief biographical and historical information, but Minsky's introduction -- beautifully illustrated with examples -- is a remarkably complete yet succinct history of the period, its artists and its main business and intellectual forces. He writes:
   
   "In the 1870s book cover art in the United States entered a Golden Age that lasted more than fifty years. Some of the work is startling for its prescience and can be associated with art movements that occurred decades after the books were produced. Publishers commissioned contemporary painters, architects, and stained glass designers to create covers that would grab the eye of bookstore browsers.
   
   "Artists experimented with new visual concepts and production processes in an era of rapid technological, social, and aesthetic evolution. These artists were in the forefront not only of book cover design, but of visual culture. In the following pages you will see works by early precursors to Malevich, Marinetti, Kandinsky, Kline, Escher, and other artists. One wonders if the artists had these books in their childhood homes.
   
   "Identifying the cover artists helped publishers to sell books. Houghton, Mifflin took the lead in America in 1887, featuring Mrs. Henry Whitman's name as the cover designer in their advertising, but showed no images of the covers. Sarah Wyman Whitman created hundreds of covers for Houghton and influenced many other artists. In the decade that followed, other publishers' advertisements and catalogs featured cover artists such as Frank Hazenplug, Will Bradley, and Bruce Rogers, who had become so well known that their names appeared without pictures of the covers.
   
   "As early as the 1840s, Americans were buying books as decorative objects for their homes as well as works of literature. This was not the same as buying sets of books by the yard to decorate the shelves of a home library. The beautiful covers of individual books were meant to be seen, not hidden on shelves with only their spines exposed."
   
   If you love books, you will love this book. It is a landmark in the history of the book and will surely provide great inspiration for any artist, whether working in the field of books or not. Minsky captures a critical moment in industrial design that was characterized by a profound sense of humanism. Far from being ironed out and standardized, book covers were intensely personal, suffused with a kind of joy that survives to this day in the art of the book cover. Modern production may be much slicker, less textured, but book covers remain defiantly creative even as content is muffled in deadening white noise. The Art of American Book Covers is easily one of Minsky's greatest works, a stunning example of critical art history that is free of any kind of curatorial jargon, fundamentally respectful of our intelligence, yet clear, accessible and useful. It belongs in every library.



3. Richard Minsky's "The Art of American Book Covers: 1875-1930" provides bibliophiles and collectors with an invaluable reference guide to the art of late-nineteenth to early twentieth century American publishers' bindings. Spurred on by the industrial revolution, technological advances in gold and poly-chromatic stamping led to an explosion of increasingly complex cover designs by leading artists and designers Including Rockwell Kent, Alice Morse, Maxfield Parrish, and Sarah Wyman Whitman. While the art that graced these covers would disappear in the years following the First World War to be replaced by printed paper wrappers, they made a lasting impact on the art of the book. Beautifully printed and bound, "The Art of American Book Covers" is itself covered in beautiful cloth with crisp gold stamping that skillfully evokes the essence of many of these bindings, unusual for a trade edition and a fitting tribute.



4. This is another extraordinary book by Richard Minsky, once again creating a new category. "The Art of American Book Covers" is an impeccably curated and presented collection of book cover design of that rich period in book history. It is also a feast for anyone who loves great design. In creating the book object itself, Minsky seamlessly reveals the production involved in the creation of the books he represents. A goldmine for scholars of book history, it is also a dazzling visual experience.



5. This is a superb book from one of our most innovative and exciting book scholars. The book presents some of the most richly produced images of early american publishers bindings that I have seen. Minsky's collecting instincts are fascinating and unexpected--by bringing together the books in this collection, he has created an archive and exhibition that is utterly comprehensive and that touches on all the major areas of book design during one of the most significant eras in American publishing. I found Minsky's essays to be particularly illuminating; consisting of a series of remarkable analyses of the art of the cover designs, the essays in this book are a profound contribution not only to the history of the book in America, but to the history of art and American culture in general. It is hard to think of a more exciting book for dealers or collectors of fine books and I can only imagine what the hand produced limited editions of these books must look like. I'm struggling to hold myself back from trying to get one from the author, since I heard there were a few left, though now that this compilation is out, I suppose that might be old news. But I'm going to check. Clearly 5 STARS; very satisfying.

5 comments about The Smithsonian Book of Books.

1. I bought this book for school. So, I'm glad I purchased it. Unfortunately for the publishers, this book is full of false information. The best part it that it has great pictures that show the history of book making and old manuscripts beautifully. So, double check the information, but enjoy the pictures! :D



2. I had been assigned this book for a college course on (duh) the history of books. Before the semester had started, I had actually read the entire book, really geeky yes, but it was a wonderful book! It was engaging and full of images. It made me forget that I was actually learning something! I would highly recommend this book to anyone.



3. This book is indispensible for any book lover who not only enjoys the contents of books but also gets a charge from simply being in the company of books.
   
   Though, at times, the author's opinion shines through and the topic matter can be somewhat dry (the history of fonts - yawn), it is generally an excellent, interesting and informative discussion of the life of the book.
   
   The reader is led on a journey that begins in a time documented on material plucked from mother earth and ends with a discussion of the modern book business. Along the way the reader is treated to hundreds of tidbits about the materials, fonts, type, inks, presses, people, processes and works that were instrumental in the evolution of the book into it's modern form.
   
   In addition, the real payoff is the inclusion of hundreds of beautiful and informative pictures and illustrations supporting the topic matter. The reader is richly rewarded with pictures of important books and people as well as many representations of covers, pages and detail from important books past and present.
   
   Will the average book reader be interested in reading this book? Doubtful. Most will likely just thumb through the pages and look at the grapics. Will the average book LOVER be interested in reading this book? Absolutely - It's an excellent resource for anyone who loves books as much for what's inside as for what is outside.



4. Gorgeously illustrated with pictures from library collections all over the world, "The Smithsonian Book of Books" is a bibliophile's paradise. As Michael Olmert shows us, books became one of the world's most powerful means of disseminating information and entertainment. Can anybody imagine life without books?

   We learn how books developed from the papyrus and parchment rolls of the Egyptians and Greeks to the Roman codex, which transformed the book into the shape we know today, and how "people of the Book" -- Christians, Jews and Muslims, produced glorious volumes meant to teach the word of God. But these masterpieces were made by hand, every word and every stitch; they weren't for the the great unwashed masses. The Middle Ages, with their gloriously illuminated religious tomes sandwiched between jeweled covers that were worth a prince's ransom, turned out books that were museum pieces; some more famous examples of illumination were the "Tres Riches Heures of Jean Duc of Berry", and the Irish "Book of Kells". The spread of handwritten books for keeping accounts made possible the development and spread of commerce during the Renaissance. But the Gutenberg revolution, the development of movable type, brought books down from the rarefied atmosphere of prized possessions for the rich alone, and made books and the dissemination of knowledge and information available to everyone.

   Olmert relates in detail how books were made, the development of different typefaces, and writes two fascinating chapters on the crafts of bookmaking and bookbinding. There are also chapters on the role of illustration in books by etching and engraving as well as drawing and painting, and how illustrations in texts were used to teach as well as embellish. There's a nice chapter on children's books and how picture books progressed from the woodcuts of the 17th century to "Where the Wild Things Are" in our own time. And a whole chapter is devoted to what Olmert considers the most important book ever written, and no, it's not the Bible -- it's the dictionary.

   Olmert ends with the observation of the timeless of books. There is no "sell-by" date on any book, he tell us, because every book can tell future generations something about us. In a way, we are the sum of what we read.

   Books are so much a part of life now that they are available to everyone everywhere, from rare book sellers to the online supermarket to the corner newspaper store, and at every price from zillions of dollars for museum masterpieces to a few dollars for throwaway paperbacks. Only one kind of book is missing from this excellent volume and that is the development of the e-book. Olmert may not have seen it coming, as his book was published in 1992, but it's hard to see how scrolling through e-books will ever replace the fun of turning pages. How, on a rainy day, does one curl up with an e-book?




5. The contemporary books we buy today fill many categories, and while they may be special for a variety of reasons, their mass production that condemns them to a comparatively brief life, also is the cause of how visually dismal they are.

   There are some small private presses that still produce books as artisans, some even completely by hand, but the product is often well beyond the budgets of all but affluent collectors. Reading a work by Dickens is undeniably a thrill, but even Dickens believed his books were enhanced with imagery, so artists were part of his books, fellow craftsmen he chose to compliment his tales.

   This book by Michael Olmert is for people who love books for not just what they contain, but the manner in which they were presented. Mr. Olmert also provides a very readable history of books from long before Guttenberg printed his Bible, from a time when a book was done by hand, every letter, every stitch.

   This book presents some of the greatest rarities that have been preserved, so while you may covet a Book Of Hours, A Book Of Kells, or an illuminated page that rivals the art placed on canvas, your savings are safe. This is "The Smithsonian Book Of Books" so nobody can take any of these treasures home.

   Mr. Olmert states, "The book is perhaps humankind's most powerful intellectual creation". A rather daring claim, but this book backs it well.

5 comments about At Home with Books: How Booklovers Live with and Care for Their Libraries.

1. This is a beautiful book and provides a rich view of many lovely libraries. I liked some of the interviews and definitely envied a few of the libraries and homes featured. There is some useful information about forming and maintaining your own library. Unfortunately, that's about where my praise ends. If you are seriously into reading and actually interacting with your books then many of the passages will make you sad if not angry. Some of these people don't even seem to like their books and view them as design trinkets and when you realize that there were other libraries that could have been featured by people that, though not famous, actually care about their books, it makes your heart sink.
   
   The section on libraries designed by designers is infuriating. The writers try to pass off grouping books by color as some lovely and acceptable idea- anyone that actually uses their books regularly should be appalled.
   Thomas Britt seems to only have a single bookcase and was, I suppose, only featured because he has a lovely room. Laurie Mallet and the designer that held her home before her painted books shut and incorporated them into the wall for effect. That is not book-love. Jack Lenor Larsen openly admits to not even liking looking at his books and hides them behind sliding panels. While this creates a very zen-like atmosphere (which I do appreciate) it isn't book-love.
   
   Most of the people featured are artists or architects and so a large portion of the books talked about are art books. Everything is about being pretty and appealing to artistic sensibilities.
   
   Finally, I must admit that this is a very "white" book. 99% of the people featured are white and live in the US or England or live abroad but are from there. Granted, this may have something to do with the fact that it takes wealth to collect like this and white people make up a major portion of the wealthy but the writers didn't even try. A section about the great libraries of the world only speaks of European libraries (with lonely Martinique as the sole non-European library- but they are a French colony so I really wonder how much that counts as non-European). Hay-on-Wye the booktown is treated as something completely unique and special when a brief search will show that there are a number of booktowns. Because the wealthy are featured there is a leaning toward their lifestyles which could be overlooked if it weren't for such classist statements as, "Her home and atelier/showroom are oases in a neighborhood marked by Indian food stores and welfare hotels." (page 117 of the hardback edition). Sorry all of the poor are cramping your rich artistic style.
   
   In short, this is a really pretty book about people that like the look of their books and houses and that's about it.



2. I'm quite certain it was not the fault of the featured celebrities that even as we read of their love of books, one wishes to smack them. No. it is the tone of the writers of the book that makes one wish to scream; moreover, to resell the book as quickly as possible, even though there are habitats shown in the book that are positively entrancing.
   
   I prefer the wild intrigue and adventure in Nicholas Basbanes' A Gentle Madness, and letting my books sit where they may.



3. I am now approximately 3/4 of the way through the book and am finding it to be a great book on books. I have been developing my own library ( just 828 books so far ) and think this book is a valuable reference and library table book!



4. While the photos show many upscale and elegant home libraries, there are some wonderful ideas in each, that can translate to a more modest library. Additionally, this book profiles related companies, such as Putnam Rolling Ladders, and gives concise and useful information on proper book care, bookplates, lighting, library furniture, and of course, a myriad of shelving styles. We bought this as we are designing a simple home library for our extensive collection of art, architecture, photography and garden design tomes, as well as some rare specimens that need special care. This book is proving to be both inspirational and useful.



5. I was interested in finding a book that focused on design ideas for a home library since I am in the process of designing my next new home. The book fit the bill. What a marvelous book! The book is of the highest quality. The pages are glossy and filled with color photographs of home libraries from around the world. These private libraries range from small to large, from simple to complex, from expensive to cost effective, from old to new and from organized to messy. In addition to private libraries, this book covers topics such as How to Organize your Library, How to Start a Collection, Library Lighting, The Art of the Bookshelf, Bookplates, Bookbinders, Library Furniture and a valuable Resource Directory. While an interesting concept is to integrate shelves throughout the house and treat in effect the house as a library, my favorite focus of this book is the "Library as a Retreat". Even Keith Richards of the Stones has a small library in his mansion that acts as a "Retreat". The previous positive reviews were correct; this is another treasure to add to your personal library. I will certainly refer to it in the future.