A library of straight angles suggests division into parts or subjects, consistent with the medieval notion of a compartmentalized and hierarchical universe; a circular library more generously allows the reader to imagine that every last page is also the first. Ideally, for many readers, a library would be a combination of both, and intersection of circle and rectangle or oval and square, like the ground floor of a basilica.
An edition of The Library at Night
(2003)
The library at night
by Alberto Manguel
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"The Library at Night - a series of essays on what might call the Platonic idea of a library - reveals some of its author's intellectual range and magpie learning... [It] is an elegant volume, in both its design and its text... Alberto Manguel has brought out a richly enjoyable book, absolutely enthralling for anyone who loves to read and an inspiration for anybody who has ever dreamed of building a library of his or her own." - Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World
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The Library at Night
September 26, 2006, Alfred A. Knopf
Hardcover
in English
- 1st
0676975887 9780676975888
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Book Details
Table of Contents
The library as myth
The library as order
The library as space
The library as power
The library as shadow
The library as shape
The library as chance
The library as workshop
The library as mind
The library as island
The library as survival
The library as oblivion
The library as imagination
The library as identity
The library as home.
Edition Notes
Originally published: 2008.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 329-356) and index.
"Alberto Manguel's non-canonical list of favorite books": p. 375-381.
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Page 138,
added by George.
Books, even after they have been given a shelf and a number, retain a mobility of their own. Left to their own devices, they assemble in unexpected formations; they follow secret rules of similarity, unchronicled genealogies, common interests and themes.
Page 163,
added by George.
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