The most beautiful libraries in the world
By: photographs by Guillaume de Laubier ; text by Jacques Bosser ; foreword by James H. Billington ; translated from the French by Laurel Hirsch.
Contributors: Bosser, Jacques.
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Published: 2003
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 247
Subjects: Library buildings; Library architecture; Libraries; Library buildings -- Pictorial works; Library architecture -- Pictorial works; Libraries -- Pictorial works
Genres: Pictorial works.
Description: Here, for the first time, architectural photographer Guillaume de Laubier takes the reader on a privileged tour of twenty-three of the world's most historic libraries, representing twelve countries and ranging from the great national monuments to scholarly, religious, and private libraries: the baroque splendor of the Institut de France in Paris; the Renaissance treasure-trove of the Riccardiana Library in Florence; the majestic Royal Monastery in El Escorial, Spain; the hallowed halls of Oxford's Bodleian Library; and the New York Public Library, a Beaux-Arts masterpiece. Also included are the smaller abbey and monastic libraries - often overlooked on tourist itineraries - each containing its own equally important collections of religious and philosophical writings, manuscripts, and church history. Through color photography one can marvel at the grandeur of the great public libraries while relishing the rare glimpses inside scholars-only private archives.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 246).
Table of contents: title: Vienna, Austria, National Library of Austria; title: Admont, Austria, The Benedictine Abbey Library of Admont; title: Ulm, Germany, The Monastic Library at Wiblingen; title: Metten, Germany, The Benedictine Abbey Library of Metten; title: Wiemar, Germany, The Herzogin Anna Amalia Library; title: Rome, Italy, The Vatican Library; title: Florence, Italy, Riccardiana Library; title: Paris, France, The Mazarine Library; title: Paris, France, The Institute Library; title: France, Paris, The Senate Library; title: Chantilly, France, The Cabinet des Livres of the Duc d'Aumale; title: Saint Gall, Switzerland, The Abbey Library of Saint Gall; title: Oxford, England,  Bodleian Library; title: Cambridge, England, Wren Library, Trinity College; title: Manchester, England, The John Rylands Library; title: Dublin, Ireland, Trinity College Library; title: Prague, The Czech Republic, The National Library; title: San Lorenzo del Escorial, Spain, The Library of the Royal Monastery of El Escorial; title: Mafra, Portugal, The National Palace Library in Mafra; title: Boston, United States of America, Boston Athenaeum; title: Washington, D.C., United States of America, The Library of Congress; title: New York, United States of America, The New York Public Library; title: Saint Petersburg, Russia, National Library of Russia.