GREAT READS

At Home With Books

Estelle Ellis ; Caroline Seebohm ; Christopher Simon Sykes

Coffee table book At Home with Books is for you if you meet one or more of the following criteria: you cannot find your coffee table because you have too many stacks of books; you find yourself buying books at grocery stores, thrift stores, bookstores, and library sales; you dream of your home having towering built-in bookshelves with tall, sliding wooden ladders; or, you describe books as "essential," like air and water. Authors Estelle Ellis, Caroline Seebohm, and Christopher Simon Sykes bring us a collection of stunning photographs and descriptions of personal libraries around the world. Some of the highlighted collectors have peculiar passions (for instance, one man owns over 12,000 volumes on New York history), and some accumulate stacks on all different topics and genres (like rock legend Keith Richards). Although the authors insert some interesting mini-chapters covering related topics - such as lighting and organization - this book is really about the "wow" factor, like, "Wow, I wish had a collection like that!"

Recommended by Leah Youse