{"id":38666,"date":"2021-02-23T00:03:38","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T04:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=38666"},"modified":"2021-02-23T00:03:38","modified_gmt":"2021-02-23T04:03:38","slug":"review-of-bibliostyle-by-nina-freudenberger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=38666","title":{"rendered":"Review of Bibliostyle, by Nina Freudenberger"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Bibliostyle<\/p>\n

How We Live at Home with Books<\/em><\/p>\n

by Nina Freudenberger
\nwith Sadie Stein
\nphotographs by Shade Degges<\/p>\n

Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2019. 272 pages.
\nReview written November 28, 2020, from a library book
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a book for book lovers to drool over, a book that makes me feel so much better about my book hoarding habits!<\/p>\n

This is a coffee-table book with large, lavish photographs \u2013 of other people\u2019s extravagant personal book collections. And between profiles of home libraries, there are interludes with photos of notable book stores.<\/p>\n

This volume is written by an interior designer, so the focus does lean toward the look of the home libraries and how they fit into the design of the homes. But she also does talk with the owners and we hear about the types of books that they own and cherish.<\/p>\n

The Introduction to this wonderful volume reveals that creating it was a labor of love. Here\u2019s how that page ends:<\/p>\n

In choosing our subjects, we were not merely interested in the beautiful and perfectly curated rooms, the most extensive collections, or those shelves filled only with rare first editions \u2013 although there\u2019s plenty of beauty on display. This book is not about unattainable libraries, any more than it is about perfectly decorated homes. Rather, it\u2019s about the power of books to tell stories, in both the literal and figurative sense. As we found repeatedly, surrounding yourself with books you love tells the story of your life, your interests, your passions, your values. Your past and your future. Books allow us to escape, and our personal libraries allow us to invent the story of ourselves \u2013 and the legacy that we will leave behind.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a famous quote attributed to Cicero: \u201cA room without books is like a body without a soul.\u201d If I suspected this before, I know it now. I hope you\u2019ll find as much pleasure in discovering these worlds as we did.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There\u2019s a wonderful international aspect to this book, with personal collections from places as far flung as Mexico City, Los Angeles, Paris, Lisbon, and Isle of Wight. The features are gathered into sections titled \u201cThe Sentimentalists,\u201d \u201cThe Intuitives,\u201d \u201cThe Arrangers,\u201d \u201cThe Professionals,\u201d and \u201cThe Collectors\u201d \u2013 but what you have consistently are shelves and shelves of books woven into people\u2019s homes and lives. Oh, for a built-in bookshelf like the ones found in these pages!<\/p>\n

I began by reading this book slowly \u2013 looking at one personal library per day, but there were lots of holds and I had to turn it back in. So the next time it came to me, I was more purposeful about getting through it \u2013 but it was still a delight. I may have to purchase my own copy. And the next time I get someone to help me move, I could show them this book and say, \u201cSee, my book hoarding could be a lot worse!\u201d<\/p>\n

clarksonpotter.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Nonfiction\/bibliostyle.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a>