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
First Sentence
"The library in which I have long last collected my books began life as a barn sometime in the fifteenth century, perched on a small hill south of the Loire."
Table of Contents
Edition Notes
Includes bibliographical references (p. 329-356) and index. /// There is also a non-canonical list of some of Manguel's favourite books at the end. /// You can preview almost the entire book at Google: http://books.google.com/books?id=zXZlE5KJiZsC&source=gbs_navlinks_s /// Interesting writing on Warburg's library & eBooks from Mandy Brown, Creative Director at W. W. Norton: http://aworkinglibrary.com/library/book/library_at_night/
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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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