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Reply to "World's most attractive libraries"

And I thought you weren't a fan of "best of" lists, DrF.

 

There are as many of these lists as there are opinions, I think.  Here's another:

http://www.miragebookmark.ch/m...esting-libraries.htm

 

I think the Bodleian in Oxford may be my favorite, not because of the Radcliffe Camera, shown, but the interior of the old library proper, which can be seen on tours.  It isn't as ostentatious as some on the list, but it's ancient and intimate, which appeals to me infinitely more than huge open spaces built to impress.

 

Duke_Humfrey's_Library_Interior_2,_Bodleian_Library,_Oxford,_UK_-_Diliff

item17.rendition.slideshowVertical.libraries-18-bodleian

 

Even more than institutional book repositories, I admire beautiful bookshops, most often the vision of 1 person and consequently a more pure vision.  I find the same true of gardens, those designed by a talented individual, far more satisfying than large ones conceived and executed by "committee", that seek to impress but so often end up looking like uninspired city parks.

 

Two of my personal favorite bookshops are Atlantis Books in Oia, Santorini...

 

56-1606988-atlantis-books2

 

 

...and Daunt Books (Marylebone High Street location, London), beautiful and probably not coincidentally, a travel bookstore.

 

iu

 

 

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  • 56-1606988-atlantis-books2
  • iu
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