This coffee-table book is a beautiful book to browse through. It has pictures and articles of about 40 personal libraries of the, it has to be said, rich and famous. None of these libraries are obtainable to anyone on a modest budget, however they are still beautiful to look at and dream about. The emphasis throughout is on libraries in the United States, with a few from the UK, but nothing else unfortunately, which I think is a shame. Also a disappointment for me personally is that many of the libraries look like they are made by interior designers to show off to clients rather than by genuine book lovers and bibliophiles. However having said that the pictures are beautiful (but too few of them!) and many of the discussions on the various libraries were very interesting. My personal favourites were of libraries where there was no minimalist nonsense and the books were literally stacked to the ceilings and bursting from all walls, but that is only my own personal preference for what constitutes an enthralling personal library.

There were two quotes in the book which I found particularly poignant - "Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill" and "Man should treasure books because they have guided him to truth; they have filled his mind with noble and graceful images; they stood by him in all vicissitudes, comforters in sorrow, nurses in sickness, companions in solitude".

What more needs to be said than that.

If you're the type of person who always seems to gravitate towards their hosts' bookshelves, then this is the book for you. It's easy to enjoy the large, glossy photos of others' libraries, to envy their collections and to fantasize about the opportunity to spend a while perusing the selection.

The book includes collections from a variety of bibliophiles - writers, collectors, celebrities and more - and each reader will surely be drawn to the subjects, settings or presentation of many of the libraries.

It's a lovely book to flip through when admiring your own collection, as you imagine it growing through the years. Helpful advice is scattered through the work on how to plan, build and arrange your library. And, while limited information is presented as regards actually 'caring' for your aging books, the resources are there to get you started. ( )

This book was very helpful to me as I was in the midst of building a new library. It is a dream come true for me. I have two 28` walls of bookcases, a lovely view, and terrace. ( )

Really a coffeetable book with at least as many pages of photos as text. But the photos are of libraries. And books. And book lovers with their books. There were a few useful tips on caring for books but not as much as I had hoped. This large volume did hold my interest, however, and I loved browsing through those libraries and seeing what their owners had to say about them.

This collection of photographs and brief essays of the libraries of well-heeled bibliophiles makes for an enjoyable browse. Although I found a few libraries that inspired envy, I was most struck by the fact that, in spite of having the funds available, no one seemed to have a really well-designed and attractive library. Of course I coud just be extremely picky . . . ( )