Library Porn...

You know you want it. I surely do. Things of beauty. The smell of bindings. And my favorites have those seductive little catwalks that hug the curves of those high shelves of the more classic designs.

Link: Hot Library Smut.

Red-Hot and Filthy Library Smut

Now, coming upon this post as you are, unawares, I feel I ought to clarify the title (which was alternately going to be sex libris) straight away by telling you what this post is not, in fact, about. By “library smut” I am in no way referring to the photo books on native peoples, or the illustrated health manuals, or any of the other volumes which, in your childhood, you lurked about the library aisle to find with the sole purpose of sneaking guilty glances at naked bodies. Nor am I referring to the “risqué” novels by Miller, Cleland, Réage, or Lawrence you leafed impatiently through as a teenager. No. What I’m talking about here is the full-frontal objectification of the library itself. Oh yeah.

Yesterday I came across a truly gorgeous book of photographs by Candida Höfer titled, Libraries, a title which pretty much says it all, because that is just exactly what it is, one rich, sumptuous, photo of a library interior after another. It’s like porn for book nerds. Seriously. They are gorgeous photos, nearly all without visitors and just begging to be entered. (ha. sorry.)

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Here are a few of my favs... but go to the link above to see more than what I've picked.

 

BNF PARIS

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BRITISH LIBRARY LONDON

REAL GABINETE PORTUGUES DE LEITURA RIO DE JANEIRO

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RIJKMUSEUM AMSTERDAM

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STIFTSBIBLIOTHEK ST. GALLEN

HANDELINGENKAMER TWEEDE KAMER DER STATEN-GENERAAL DEN HAAG

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TRINITY COLLEGE LIBRARY DUBLIN

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