Monday, June 20, 2011

The Good Company of Books







There was a good piece written in the now defunct Victoria Magazine by Michele Slung called The Good Company of Books. I tore it out and saved it in my BOOK FOLDER.

She quotes from Clarence Cook's "The House Beautiful" (1878), an influential work on domestic interior decoration. He says, "For lovers of books...a house without books is no house at all; and in a family where books make a great part of the pleasure of living, they must be where they can be got at without trouble, and what is of more importance, where they can share in the life about them and receive some touches of the humanity they supply and feed." I couldn't agree more. Here are some photos of our library this morning. It's one of my favorite rooms in the house. I just wish it was bigger. It's only 9x15 feet.

The row of books running around the top of the room is my biography section. All the books in the Victorian cabinet are religious/spiritual in nature with some literature textbooks thrown in.

The trunk in front of the loveseat is full of books waiting to be read. Only problem there is that one of the grandsons snapped it shut, and there's no key. I'll have to wait until my daddy comes to visit and get him to pick it. He's good at that.

The books on the small mission style table are photography or art books. All of my fiction is in my art studio. I completely ran out of room in the house. I'll show them to you later this week.

And what's a library without a kitty cat and a cozy throw to snuggle with?

5 comments:

Jeannette said...

Your room and books are lovely, and ah, the stories that roll across the back of the eyelids of a sleeping kitty cat.

no spring chicken said...

A library. Sigh. My house is oozing books, leaking books... In fact I'm looking for a good home for some of them now. I can't just throw them to the wilds. It must be a good home that believes in the principles you quoted. I home school so I actually know many such homes. It's just so hard to say good-bye...

Blessings, Debbie

Pom Pom said...

More and more keep coming, right? I love it. I never hesitate when considering a book. There's always room for ten more! What lovely photographs. Victoria magazine is back. Did you know? They don't have all the same features/columns but it's still pretty!

Gumbo Lily said...

What a beautiful and cozy looking library you have.

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

How pleasant to be invited into your room and see all these marvelous shelves full of books! You do have lots of book photos! Your home looks so comfortable and inviting.