At home with books : How book lovers live and care for their libraries, Estelle Ellis (ISBN 978-0500016848, Gardners Books)

What a treasure this book is ! I read it years ago when it was first published and now recently again as I came across it when browsing through the shelves of our library. If you have a love for books and sometimes hesitate to buy a new one because you are running out of room this could be a book for you to read and to buy. Various sections are dedicated to different types of library owners : the well of book lovers, writers, researchers and so on. In each section a number of people are interviewed about their passion for books and their libraries. Beautiful pictures visualise the libraries. What most of the interviewed people have in common is that they came into contact with books at an early age going to the public library with their parents. They describe this as a ‘pivotal’ moment in their lives where the access to books formed a door to a wider world. This was the seed for their love for books which culminated in their library. Most already have way too many books but obviously keep buying new ones and have difficulty in parting with a book. The sometimes comical result is obvious in some of the pictures in the book. For most of us the book collections in this book are far out of reach but the love for books permeates every page and just reading about these book lovers is a pleasant experience. For a book lover reading this book feels like being among kindred spirits. It can serve both as an inspiration or a warning about what your love for books can lead to. Or maybe it can serve as an excuse to buy yet another book thinking that things are not as ‘bad’ as in some of the examples in this book. Because of the short chapters, the large format and the many pictures this is also an ideal coffee table book. An invitation to browse and to share stories about a love for books.