The Library: A World History - Hardcover

James W. P. Campbell

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0500342881 ISBN 13: 9780500342886

Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd, 2013

Synopsis

This spectacular book is the first single volume to tell the story of the library as a distinct building type, all around the world. Throughout the ages, book collections have served to symbolize their owners culture and learning, and the wealthy and powerful have spent lavishly on buildings to house them. In its highest form the library became a total work of art, combining painting, sculpture, furniture and architecture into seamless, dramatic spaces. The finest libraries are repositories not just of books, but of learning, creativity and contemplation; they embody some of the highest achievements of humankind. This book recounts that history in text and images of truly outstanding quality.

About this title

Review

Stunning-looking. --The Bookseller

spectacular photographs ... Campbell is precise and enlightening in his descriptions ... Campbell ends this marvellous book with another good motto: 'libraries are places of imagination' --Financial Times, Sarah Bakewell

A fascinating read for anyone who appreciates books and the beautiful buildings they're housed in. --Elle Decoration

On every count scholarship, production, readability The Library: A World History is way ahead of its predecessors, particularly with regard to production and design. The photographs by Will Pryce are technically flawless, and they give point and purpose to a text which is not only informative but persuasive. --Times Literary Supplement, J. Mordaunt Crook

A glorious study of that most venerable of institutions ... how gorgeously [libraries] have been photographed by Will Pryce. --Sunday Telegraph, Clive Aslet

In a lavish tribute to the architecture of libraries, the culture of learning and our ever-changing relationship with the written word from ancient to medieval modern, this great book is itself a rich library. --Saga Magazine, Iain Finlayson

Sumptuous ... long overdue --The Times

Will leave you lost for words ... stunning photographs ... the result of five years of meticulous research by Dr Campbell. --The Daily Mail

The Library: A World History by James W P Campbell with luminous photography by Will Pryce, is a magnificent book. --BBC CULTURE, Jonathan Glancey

gloriously glossy. --Cambridge News

lavish tome. --Homes and Interiors Scotland, Nov 2013

Luminous photography ... a magnificent book ... an architectural pilgrimage through one compelling building after another. --hidemyass.com

A global history of wisdom stores: their ceilings, stacks and secret doors. The glorious photography proves that rooms do furnish a book. --The Evening Standard

Really earns its size the 31 x 24 cm pages allow both Campbell's research endeavours and Pryce's photography to spread out and luxuriate. --Amateur Photographer

Hauntingly evocative images ... there is also a substantial and enviably omniscient text nestling among all the eye-candy. --The Spectator

Looks great ... fascinating, strewn with anecdote ... seductive beauty. --The Observer

A lavish and melancholy tome. --Roger Lewis, The Spectator

Book-lovers (the two words belong together in ways that ebook-lover don't) will feast on The Library ... a secondary wonder is that the publisher can serve up such a feast for under £50. --John Sutherland, The Spectator

Stunningly photographed and the fruit of worldwide research ... the definitive history of the library. --The Daily Mail

Campbell and Pryce have produced a masterwork. --Western Mail (Cardiff)

Will Pryce's stunning photography leaves you in no doubt as to why the library came to be the highest temple of learning and culture for centuries while Campbell's authoritative text puts the reader well and truly in the frame of each shot. --Furniture and Cabinetmaking Magazine

Very much to be welcomed ... filled with pictures and descriptions of some eighty-two libraries in twenty-one countries designed not just for storing books but for reading, thinking, gaining understanding and insight (one hopes) and indulging in the delights of serendipitous discovery. --Salon (e-newsletter of the Society of Antiquaries)

Intelligent and readable ... To describe Pryce's pictures as spectacular would be an understatement. One could use every word in the thesaurus and still not do them justice. --Post-Lib Magazine

Campbell and Pryce have produced a masterwork. --Western Mail (Cardiff)

Will Pryce's stunning photography leaves you in no doubt as to why the library came to be the highest temple of learning and culture for centuries while Campbell's authoritative text puts the reader well and truly in the frame of each shot. --Furniture and Cabinetmaking Magazine

About the Author

James W. P. Campbell, Fellow in Architecture and History of Art, Queens' College, Cambridge, is the author of Building St Paul's and Brick: A World History, also with Will Pryce. Will Pryce, a trained architect and award-winning photographer, is the author of six books, all published by Thames & Hudson.

Edition details

• Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0500342881
• ISBN 13: 9780500342886
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 328