The architecture of libraries in Western civilization : from the Minoan Era to Michelangelo /

This beautifully crafted book is different from other works on the subject in that Staikos (architect and book historian) looks at "library" not as a place for storing knowledge but rather as a place for books to live. He examines libraries from an architectural perspective. What is the purpose of the building itself, and did it fulfill its purpose as a library? In five detailed chapters, he presents a careful analysis of each library, considering how each came to be built, thinking through the decisions made for the materials collected, and examining the lending practices and people involved in them. The libraries are chronicled as they evolved from early rooms and cupboards containing clay tablets from the Minoan world through the Christian churches and universities to the grand libraries in palaces of the Renaissance. That this account of libraries is a labor of love is obvious, and this reviewer hopes Staikos will continue his journey to modern days and Eastern library architecture in subsequent volumes. Richly adorned with architectural drawings and color illustrations, this book augments the literature on architectural history of libraries, joining works ranging from John Willis Clark's The Care of Books (1901) to James Campbell's The Library: A World History (2013). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. --Aimee C. Quinn, Central Washington University