The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries
“Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future,†wrote Ray Bradbury, author of “Fahrenheit 451,” the ultimate book defenders’ manifesto. Dating back thousands of years, through Egyptian, Greek, Persian and Roman history, libraries have always served as bastions of civilization, protectors of free thought and breeding grounds of ideas. (Pictured is the Trinity College Dublin library, which which bears striking resemblance to the Jedi Archives in “Star Wars.”) And throughout history, architects have designed libraries as vast and awe-inspiring as the miles of books they house. A new, lavish coffee-table book, “Libraries,” pays homage to 44 of these vaults of wisdom around the world. In these photos, spines of shelved books appear like ornate mosaics; labyrinthine stacks seem like architectural gestures.
