Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
78th out of 183 books
—
57 voters
The Library Book
by
Alan Bennett,
Rebecca Gray , Michael Brooks, Seth Godin, Caitlin Moran, Lionel Shriver, Julie Myerson, Ann Cleeves (Goodreads Author)
,
more…
From Alan Bennett's Baffled at a Bookcase, to Lucy Mangan's Ten Library Rules, famous writers tell us all about how libraries are used and why they're important. Tom Holland writes about libraries in the ancient world, while Seth Godin describes what a library will look like in 2020. Lionel Shriver thinks books are the best investment, Hardeep Singh Kohli makes a confessio...more
Hardcover, 173 pages
Published
2012
by Profile Books
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
944)
A collection of short stories from various different writers all focusing on the glory of the library. It doesn’t sound like an amazing read, and I can’t remember what prompted me to buy it in the first place (I was probably swept along in an Amazon sale somewhere). However, there are some glorious little nuggets in there, along with some that may or may not have been included just to fill the space.
It’s only a short book anyway, and some of the essays really are just a few hundred words long. O...more
It’s only a short book anyway, and some of the essays really are just a few hundred words long. O...more
I don't normally read non-fiction, but this came in new to the library last week, and as a member of library staff I was interested to see what all of these authors had to say about libraries and great to see such support for them, so important in the current climates when so many are threatened with closures.
This book has 24 'chapters', each one is written by a different author and tells of their experience with libraries, how they first fell in love with the world of books and there are a coup...more
This book has 24 'chapters', each one is written by a different author and tells of their experience with libraries, how they first fell in love with the world of books and there are a coup...more
May 29, 2012
Amy or "Ames"
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Politicians and those who value libraries and books
£0.99 until Jun 7, 2012 in UK Kindle Jubilee Sale. Worth every penny.
People should read this for Stephen Fry, Karin Slaughter and Julian Barnes's contributions, as these alone should convince EVERYONE, even cynical politicians, to preserve every single library, no matter how small. If you value books and are worried about their future, then this is a must read.
The Library Book is filled with essays, stories and autobiographical pieces by a range of authors and journalists from different backgrou...more
People should read this for Stephen Fry, Karin Slaughter and Julian Barnes's contributions, as these alone should convince EVERYONE, even cynical politicians, to preserve every single library, no matter how small. If you value books and are worried about their future, then this is a must read.
The Library Book is filled with essays, stories and autobiographical pieces by a range of authors and journalists from different backgrou...more
I grew up with a mother who loved to read, and shared that love with her daughters. She wasn't a very big believer in TV as entertainment for her children, which meant my sister and I only had a handful of hours to watch TV when we were kids - usually Sesame Street and Batibot, a show similar to Sesame Street except in Filipino. On top of that, my mother had a shelf containing books she'd chosen for us, and was happy to let us go read whatever we wanted, anytime we wanted.
At the time, we were s...more
At the time, we were s...more
A mixed bag, mostly delightful, occasionally moving, sometimes hilarious. A collection of essays, articles and stories about the importance of libraries, this book includes some absolute gems. Stephen Fry discovering Oscar Wilde; Val McDermid pretending her mother is bed-ridden in order to borrow adult books; an article by Bella Bathurst on 'The Secret Lives of Libraries' - I'd happily have bought the book for these three pieces alone.
Zadie Smith's article on the necessity of public libraries is...more
Zadie Smith's article on the necessity of public libraries is...more
view 1 comment
A little anthology; some pieces better than others.
Libraries are awesome, what more is there to say?
Libraries are awesome, what more is there to say?
The Library Book is a collection of memories, stories and essays which all display a passion for libraries from a variety of writers, including bestselling authors, journalists and a songwriter. From the very first lines of James Brown's This Place Will Lend You Books for Free, I thought, this person knows me. If you love books, you will find joy amongst the pages as authors share their stories of their relationship with libraries. From a young Stephen Fry discovering Oscar Wilde to the destruct...more
Soy de la clase de persona a la que no hay que decirle cuán importante es una biblioteca. Tristemente no tengo una historia atesorada de cómo tenía una bella biblioteca en mi vecindario y una bibliotecaria amigable como cómplice en mi formación literaria. La biblioteca de mi zona era pequeña y anticuada, atendida por un grupo de personas malencaradas y poco amigables.
Pero quizá por ello he aprendido a valorar una buena biblioteca y entender cuál es su importancia para la sociedad. En ese sentid...more
Pero quizá por ello he aprendido a valorar una buena biblioteca y entender cuál es su importancia para la sociedad. En ese sentid...more
This is a great little collection for all those who feel that tingle up the spine when they step into a library, who have had their emotional lives saved by what lies between the covers of a book. Authors and other defenders of libraries come together in this collection, some of them speaking of how their lives were touched as children when they first fell in love with libraries, others speaking of the current situation and why libraries continue to be of abiding importance even in a digital age...more
Much like a library, there's a mixed bag of things in here for every reader. The most engaging essays are the personal revelations from Stephen Fry and Val McDermid on how some chance discoveries at their local libraries in childhood set them on their life's path (Oscar Wilde for Fry; crime novels for McDermid). Skip Alan Bennett's essay unless you want to be mired in unreadable erudition. The fiction pieces by China Mieville and Kate Mosse are good little palate cleansers between meatier doses...more
I have to admit that I don’t usually bother with short storied or collections of essays but this book contained writing by so many of my favourite authors/ journalists that I thought I would give it a go.
The collection contains short stories and fragments all centring around libraries, their significance and importance and the impact the current cuts might have on library services and the community at large.
Highlights for me included the autobiographical piece by Caitlin Moran; Lucy Magan’s rule...more
The collection contains short stories and fragments all centring around libraries, their significance and importance and the impact the current cuts might have on library services and the community at large.
Highlights for me included the autobiographical piece by Caitlin Moran; Lucy Magan’s rule...more
"Libraries aren't supermarkets; they're places of cultural importance, where magic happens and where dreams begin. Or at least they should be" - Ann Cleeves.
It is possible to step empty-handed into a library, and find fragments and pieces of your soul among the endless bookshelves. It happened to me when I was very young, and randomly picked "Little Women" off the shelves. Something changed, and I've never been the same since.
Therefore, it is wrong to think that a library is a place that will o...more
It is possible to step empty-handed into a library, and find fragments and pieces of your soul among the endless bookshelves. It happened to me when I was very young, and randomly picked "Little Women" off the shelves. Something changed, and I've never been the same since.
Therefore, it is wrong to think that a library is a place that will o...more
I loved this, but then I guess everyone who picks it up is going to be a reader, a book lover and a user of libraries. I guess it's preaching to the converted, but maybe we need a reminder and some extra ammunition to counter the arguments of people who can't see the necessity of libraries today (kids have got the internet for their homework/e-books will make physical books obsolete etc)
I guess everyone who reads this will have their favourites among the contributors - I liked Stephen Fry's piec...more
I guess everyone who reads this will have their favourites among the contributors - I liked Stephen Fry's piec...more
Julian Barnes; Susan Hill; Karin Slaughter; Libraries are the back bone of our educational infrastructure; and they are being slowly broken by bankrupt; local governments and apathetic politicians
Seth Gadin: After Gutenberg; books got a lot cheaper. More individuals built their own collections. At the same time; though; the number of titles exploded; and the demand for libraries did as well. We definitely need a warehouse to store all this bounty; and more than ever we needed a librarian to help...more
Seth Gadin: After Gutenberg; books got a lot cheaper. More individuals built their own collections. At the same time; though; the number of titles exploded; and the demand for libraries did as well. We definitely need a warehouse to store all this bounty; and more than ever we needed a librarian to help...more
I enjoyed this collection of short stories.
It's really interesting to hear people in the media/authors views, memories and thoughts on Libraries and how they feel they have/or do shape them as a person.
This the kind of book you can have laying around the house or in your bag ( it's only a small book) and read in small chunks here and there.
I for one would not be able to access the amount of books I do without my local library which is why I constantly order books through them now paying reserva...more
It's really interesting to hear people in the media/authors views, memories and thoughts on Libraries and how they feel they have/or do shape them as a person.
This the kind of book you can have laying around the house or in your bag ( it's only a small book) and read in small chunks here and there.
I for one would not be able to access the amount of books I do without my local library which is why I constantly order books through them now paying reserva...more
A wonderful, inspiring and thought-provoking collection of essays, in praise and support of libraries. As a former librarian and regular library user, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and feel even more strongly after reading it that libraries should not be seen as easy targets for closure and funding cuts, particularly in such troubled economic times as these. My favourite essays were those by Stephen Fry and Zadie Smith, but they're all of interest. Definitely worth buying and reading, especiall...more
Libraries that stayed open during the Blitz will be closed by budgets.
A trillion small doors closing.
The Library Book è una raccolta di interventi di vario genere a difesa delle biblioteche pubbliche e per finanziare l'ente di beneficenza Reading Agency, che promuove la lettura in collaborazione specialmente con le biblioteche. Gli autori sono scrittori ma non solo, britannici e americani. L'ho acquistato in formato digitale durante una 'svendita' di Amazon, all'epoca ero dispiaciuta di non pos...more
A trillion small doors closing.
The Library Book è una raccolta di interventi di vario genere a difesa delle biblioteche pubbliche e per finanziare l'ente di beneficenza Reading Agency, che promuove la lettura in collaborazione specialmente con le biblioteche. Gli autori sono scrittori ma non solo, britannici e americani. L'ho acquistato in formato digitale durante una 'svendita' di Amazon, all'epoca ero dispiaciuta di non pos...more
Feb 24, 2012
Alex Sarll
added it
Picked this up because it had a China Mieville contribution - except that turned out just to be an excerpt from Un Lun Dun. Still, it contains some other people I like (Stephen Fry, Caitlin Moran), and it's all in a good cause (the defence of libraries) on which even authors in whom I have no further interest can hardly fail to turn in stirring pieces. Exceptions: the clunking, dribbling Ray Bradbury rip-off from Julian Barnes, and a reprinted piece from Kate Mosse which I can only assume was or...more
A wonderful collection of essays by some successful and talented writers. All in defense and in aid of public libraries (in the UK), a truly laudable cause.
I particularly enjoyed the essays that were addressing the issue at hand (current UK government looking to close more than 10% of public libraries) and delivering strong and intelligent arguments in favour of keeping libraries open and accessible to everyone. Many contributors told personal (childhood) anecdotes about how libraries (and libra...more
I particularly enjoyed the essays that were addressing the issue at hand (current UK government looking to close more than 10% of public libraries) and delivering strong and intelligent arguments in favour of keeping libraries open and accessible to everyone. Many contributors told personal (childhood) anecdotes about how libraries (and libra...more
2 likes
·
like
· see review
A lovely and varied collection in support of libraries. I'm not sure what the logic behind the order of the essays was; I might have separated fiction from nonfiction. However, there's certainly something here for everyone.
...in front of the beautiful sandstone house of books is...where the buses turn around, a terminus, a destination. Much like the library itself: a destination, where lives turn around. -Hardeep Singh Kohli (p. 16)
To reduce a library to simple architecture, bricks and mortar i...more
...in front of the beautiful sandstone house of books is...where the buses turn around, a terminus, a destination. Much like the library itself: a destination, where lives turn around. -Hardeep Singh Kohli (p. 16)
To reduce a library to simple architecture, bricks and mortar i...more
The Library Book is a collection of library-themed bits of writing, fiction and non-fiction, some of them republished from elsewhere, some of them just extracts from something else. It's an interesting enough little collection to flip through, and I rather liked Kate Mosse's story -- and given I paid 99p for it, it wasn't a waste of money. I would recommend it more to flip through than to read cover to cover, though. A reader's interest in each part will probably vary quite a bit.
Libraries gave us power! This collection of essays and short stories is, as these collections usually are, a mixed bag - some are very slight indeed, but most are good and some excellent - Alan Bennett's stands out. The essays are split between childhood memories of libraries and thoughts on what libraries could and should be in the future, but a sense of urgency unites them all. Libraries are under threat and this collection serves as a call to arms against the neoliberal / barbarian hordes wh...more
I am a member of 2 local libraries. I do not live in the UK but I do see the value of local libraries to mostly less well off children. I see the importance of reading when a child is growing up. A child and a teenager has the best available times to cultivate a reading habit during their school days when they do not have to worry about being an adult. And maybe they will carry on reading... For life. Reading relaxes me, and knowing that a library is just around the corner that can lend books at...more
it made me want to set up a library for people to read in. while i made coffee for them. maybe even a portable library? it was inspiring. becoming a writer seems appealing. i'm jealous of authors who've started reading at a such a young age and are so good at reading. makes me want to read more. some of the stories were interesting however other stories (more like recounts or essays) were boring and i had to skip them
This is just a little book, with various famous people like Alan Bennett and Stephen Fry writing about their early experiences of libraries.
In some ways quite depressing with so many now closed, or running very brief opening hours, due to the recession, it just shows the importance of these places, particularly in the lives of children from poor backgrounds.
The future will be less rich due to these shortsighted cut-backs.
In some ways quite depressing with so many now closed, or running very brief opening hours, due to the recession, it just shows the importance of these places, particularly in the lives of children from poor backgrounds.
The future will be less rich due to these shortsighted cut-backs.
Disappointed--from the description, thought it would be great for advocacy, but no. The only people who are likely to appreciate it are those who already know libraries are a good thing for all sorts of reasons. Stories seem to all be set in some small English village--not really compelling subject matter for internet-addicted adolescents in the in 2013 Ontario cities, nor their parents.
A beautiful, insightful and passionate collection of essays and short stories about the wonders of public libraries. I particularly loved the tale of a young Stephen Fry's first foray into Oscar Wilde courtesy of the mobile library that rolled in every Thursday. This collection brings to life the magic of libraries and reminds us of how utterly vital they are.
Lovely to read on World Book Day, some wonderful articles from a range of authors on the vital importance of the local public library. Bella Bathurst's chapter on facts about libraries including what sort of books get nicked from libraries in different parts of the country and how libraries are used is fascinating. They are indeed the 'secret social service'
Honestly I cried. This book made me reminisce about my own love affair with libraries, it made me feel connected to the authors and other users, it made me question changing professions, it made me soar! Somewhere along the way, I'd forgotten the ability of libraries to make us all a little more extraordinary! (There are so many great quotes in this book!)
Fabulous - some chapters weren't my cup of tea, but then again others I completely relished and had to read twice. A mix of very varied chapters written by different authors that could be flicked through according to personal taste and interest. Save the libraries!!!!!....and encourage ALL to visit!
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Alan Bennett is an English author and Tony Award-winning playwright. Bennett's first stage play, Forty Years On, was produced in 1968. Many television, stage and radio plays followed, along with screenplays, short stories, novellas, a large body of non-fictional prose and broadcasting, and many appearances as...more
More about Alan Bennett...
Alan Bennett is an English author and Tony Award-winning playwright. Bennett's first stage play, Forty Years On, was produced in 1968. Many television, stage and radio plays followed, along with screenplays, short stories, novellas, a large body of non-fictional prose and broadcasting, and many appearances as...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Great writers, I discovered, were not to be bowed down before and worshipped, but embraced and befriended. Their names resounded through history not because they had massive brows and thought deep incomprehensible thoughts, but because they opened windows in the mind, they put their arms round you and showed you things you always knew but never dared to believe. Even if their names were terrifyingly foreign and intellectual sounding, Dostoevsky, Baudelaire or Cavafy, they turned out to be charming and wonderful and quite unalarming after all.”
—
21 people liked it
“The librarian isn't a clerk who happens to work in a library. A librarian is a data hound, a guide, a sherpa and a teacher. The librarian is the interface between reams of data and the untrained but motivated user.”
—
7 people liked it
More quotes…
