Nonfiction Book Reviews

The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World by Jacques Bosser and Guillaume de Laubier is a gorgeous, picture-packed display of beautiful libraries that had me drooling from page one.  I work at the local public library, and I love the way it looks - windows that stretch floor to ceiling, high archways, polished wood - but after I started reading this book, I realized how plain my library looks in comparison to these libraries.

Of course, my library isn’t built using the overblown Baroque style like many of the libraries featured in this book.  And by the end of the book, I was more appreciative of the simpler style of building anyway - many of these libraries are over-the-top dripping with cornices, embellishments, statues, swags, paintings, busts, intricate wood reliefs, and marble carvings.  Just looking at the pictures in the books left me overwhelmed - it was so busy, your eye never really had a chance to rest on any particular spot.

I can’t imagine how overwhelming these libraries must be in real life.

I definitely enjoyed flipping through the book, though.  There were quite a few pages where the page folded out, giving you an almost panoramic view of the library, and some of the pictures were breathtaking.  The photographer, Guillaume de Laubier, is to be congratulated for his excellent photography skills.  The author, on the other hand (Jacques Bosser) could have used some help along the way.  Some of the text was interesting, but for the most part, it was dry and boring.  I started skipping the text entirely and just looking at the pictures.

My other quibble with the book was the title implied that they had pulled libraries from every part of the world, but in fact, the only libraries featured were from Europe and America.  I have a hard time with the idea that the only beautiful libraries in the entire world reside in Europe and America.

What about Mexico? Or Canada? Or Brazil? (Click to make larger)

I think they need to rename it The Most Beautiful Libraries in Europe, leave out the American libraries, and call it good. There were only three libraries from America featured anyway. Then write another book and focus just on American libraries - after all, all of these gorgeous libraries had been left out:

Boston Copley Public Library, Boston, Massachusetts

Suzzallo Library, Seattle, Washington

George Peabody Library, Baltimore, Maryland

For the true bibliophiles out there, this book is worth checking out from the library, if only so you can drool over the pictures and wish that you could wander these halls and lose yourself in the stacks.  But even for the bibliophiles, I don’t know if this one is worth buying.  I can only give it 3.25 out of 5 stars - I wanted to love it, but it fell short of my expectations.

Hava