Home library books - design, plans and decoration

With the help of one of my visitors I have compiled an extended list of books dealing with home library design, decorating with books and some books of general interest for bibliophiles.

• At Home with Books: How Booklovers Live with and Care for Their Libraries
• Candice Olson on Design
• Decorating with Books (House Beautiful)
• Design Ideas for Home Decorating
• Kelly Hoppen Home: From Concept to Reality
• Libraries
• Library Design
• Living with Books
• The Book on the Bookshelf

I would like to especially point your attention to Candida Höfer's Libraries. This book with Umberto Eco's introduction is a true masterpiece and would make a great gift.

For almost 30 years Candida Höfer has photographed interiors, mostly representational spaces accessible to the public, such as staircases, lobbies, reading halls or exhibition spaces. Rather than staging them, she takes their picture in the state she finds them, with great discreetness and a touch of humour.

Libraries are a book producer’s dream. Since nobody photographs libraries as beautifully as Höfer, it seemed only natural for Schirmer/Mosel to dedicate her next publication to the splendid and intimate cathedrals of knowledge across Europe and the US: the Escorial in Spain, the Whitney Museum in New York, Villa Medici in Rome, the Hamburg University library, the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris, the Museo Archeologico in Madrid, and Pierpont Morgan Library in New York, to name just a few. Almost completely devoid of people, as is Candida Höfer’s trademark, these pictures radiate a comforting serenity that is exceptional in contemporary photography.

"The Home Library" by Brander Matthews

A curious little passage from Brander Matthews book "The Home Library". There is some good advice there, of course, (especially concerning the windows in a home library) but I especially enjoyed the style of Matthews' writing.



ON THE LIBRARY AND ITS FURNITURE.

If a man with a fondness for books has also money enough to build a special room to hold them, as did the late William E. Burton to contain his fine theatrical library, he ought to consult those learned in the law of book-protecting. He would be told that the library should have very thick walls, to exclude the damp of spring, the heat of summer, and the cold of winter. He would be informed that the library should have windows only on one side, and that these windows should be recessed, that the sun may not shine in too violently, to the increase of moths and worms, and to the destruction of bindings. He would learn that the library should not be a corner, and that it should be protected, if possible, by other rooms on three sides. There are those who advocate a library wholly without windows, and lighted only by a skylight, but this is too severe and cheerless an arrangement for a true book-lover. There should be no carpet on the floor, for carpets hold dust, and dust is a great danger to books. Rugs, which may be shaken frequently, are sufficient covering for the floor. The heating arrangements, an open fire-place if convenient, should be ample enough to warm the room without making it hot; the ordinary hot-air furnace is very injurious to books.

These, however, are prescriptions for those who carry a long purse. The ordinary American, for whose use and behoof this simple treatise is intended, is well satisfied if he can give up any corner of his house to his books. As often as not it is an odd room, useless for any other purpose, and cheerless at all times. Now, this ought not to be. The library should be a room into which every member of the family may feel glad to go. It ought to he bright and cheerful. It ought to be easily accessible. It ought to be warmed in winter, and protected from the glare of the sun in summer.

Custom Book Binding for Home Libraries

Custom book binding is a good practice found in some academic libraries. This is done to make sure that the books not lucky enough to be published in hard cover can be preserved well and be used by generations of scholars. An owner of a home library has other reasons for book binding, because typically people are more mindful of their own paperbacks, so the possibility for damaging them is limited. The looks of paperbacks are a different issue, however, They easily fade, they lose appeal and they always look cheap. This is where book binding can help out a lot. You can end up with very neat looking hardbacks that would actually improve the look of your home library rather than cheapen it. Unless you are passionate about book binding and want to make it a hobby or even an occupation (which would involve investing in a book binding machine) your best bet is to find a book binding service. As usual, you can expect volume discounts or even negotiate better discounts if you are lucky and persistent.

How much does custom book binding cost?

A ball park figure for basic book binding is around $30 and it goes up very easily once you add options, request leather binding and so on. This may sound like a lot of money, especially if you are considering updating the look of a whole bunch of paperbacks. Keep in mind though, that you are simply paying for the features that you did not have in the original book that you own. Had you purchased a hardback to begin with, how much would that cost? Also, consider the fact that you can turn cheap paperbacks (as well as any other books you own) into superb editions that will greately enhance the appearance of your home library.

Here are a few links that can get you started on your quest for a perfect custom book binding solution:

Virginia Westray
Lynda's Custom Book Binding
Smith Printing Company

Restoration challenge: Joshua L. Chamberlain's Home library

While searching for images and references to libraries that belonged to famous and influential persons (more on that to come, I hope), I came across what seems to me yet another dimension of home library research and fascination. The house of the famed Civil war hero, Joshua L.Chamberlain is presently undergoing restoration. The house features a home library, as shown in this 1870s photo:



This is a definite challenge. Restoring a historic home library involves paying great attention to the furnishings of the room (as it is the case with any other room), but it is a lot more demanding task to locate all the books that can be traced to this particular library, as well as find other books that are suitable based on their publication date and themes. An important dilemma is whether to make this library available to the public or at least the researchers. Given the interest in Civil war history, it would also be expected that books that have been since written about Chamberlain would also somehow find there place on the premises. This project is managed by the Pejepscot Historical Society of Maine.

Chamberlain house restorations
159 Park Row
Brunswick, ME 04011
Phone: 207-729-6606
Fax: 207-729-6012

Antique books for your home library. What if you can't afford them?

If the design style that you have selected for your home library is reminiscent of old European chique I will be the first to congratulate you and commend your fine choice. However, this sort of home library requires that at least some books in your collection are capable of matching its style. If you are a knowledgeable collector it is unlikely that you will rush into buying dozens of old books just because they look old. After all, a library's ultimate function is to facilitate you in your studies or enhance the moments of leisure through reading. Besides, antique books are often pricey. You only should buy the ones you are interested in for any number of reasons. What to do? Are your nice baroque or Regency bookcases doomed to be empty for a while? You certainly won't fill them up with cheap paperbacks, right?

Here is an elegant solution.

A company called Paperblanks designs and sells personal journals that look like antique books, but only at a fraction of the cost! The binding of these journals makes them almost indistinguishable from antique leather bindings. The company makes it clear however, that they only use modern environmentally friendly materials. Granted, the number of designs they offer is somewhat limited, but with some variation and occasional interspersing of real antique editions you can very easily achieve the looks that would otherwise cost you thousands of dollars. Eventually you can replace these journals. And don't forget you can actually write in them! This separates them from solutions such as "fake" books.