Unpacking My Library: Architects and Their Books

Unpacking My Library

by Jo Steffens (Editor)

What does a library say about the mind of its owner? How do books map the intellectual interests, curiosities, tastes, and personalities of their readers? What does the collecting of books have in common with the practice of architecture? Unpacking My Library provides an intimate look at the personal libraries of twelve of the world’s leading architects, alongside conversations about the significance of books to their careers and lives.

Photographs of bookshelves—displaying well-loved and rare volumes, eclectic organizational schemes, and the individual touches that make a bookshelf one's own—provide an evocative glimpse of their owner's personal life. Each architect also presents a reading list of top ten influential titles, from architectural history to theory to fiction and nonfiction, that serves as a personal philosophy of literature and history, and advice on what every young architect, scholar, and lover of architecture should read. 

An inspiring cross-section of notable libraries, this beautiful book celebrates the arts of reading and collecting. 

Unpacking My Library: Architects and Their Books features the libraries of:

Stan Allen
Henry Cobb
Liz Diller & Ric Scofidio
Peter Eisenman
Michael Graves
Steven Holl
Toshiko Mori
Michael Sorkin
Bernard Tschumi
Todd Williams & Billie Tsien

Peter Eisenman's Recommended Titles:

Robert Musil, The Man Without Qualities
Le Corbusier, Vers une Architecture
Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow
Robert Venturi, Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture
Rem Koolhaas, Delirious New York
Jacques Derrida, Of Grammatology
Andrea Palladio, The Four Books on Architecture
Walter Benjamin, Illuminations
James Joyce, Finnegans Wake
William Faulkner, Light in August

Genres: Architecture, Books About Books, Nonfiction, Design, Reference

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Philippe]

If you are one of those people who stears clear from the small talk at dinner parties and instead heads straight for your hosts' library to nose your way up and down the shelves, then this book is for you. Jo Steffens had the opportunity to peek into ten famous, largely New York-based architects' libraries - ranging from 750 to over 6000 volumes - and filled a book with snapshots from some of their shelves, short conversations about the meaning of books in their practice, and a top ten list of each.

The experience is predictably labyrinthine. No surprise that we often bump into the likes of Corbu, Mies, Loos and Kahn. A strong showing, also, of key (proto-)postmodernist thinkers (as opposed to builders): Benjamin, Foucault, Derrida, Bataille, Deleuze. Rem Koolhaas' S M L XL is probably one of the few books to show up in all libraries, although it never makes it to the top 10 (his Delirious New York does, once). Venturi's Complexity and Contradiction is another fixture of the postmodern architectural scene. There is not an awful lot that refers back to older, pre-modern architectural practices (Michael Graves' library is an exception). And surprisingly little in terms of monographs on contemporary European colleagues (I don't think I saw anything referring to work by Rodgers, Piano, Herzog & De Meuron, ...). There is, on the other hand, quite a bit of fiction on those shelves - a lot of which reminds us of the fractured, the layered, the tectonic: Finnegan's Wake, Gravity's Rainbow, Moby Dick, The Man Without Qualities all figure in top 10 lists. Then again very few poetry books. Only one - Celan's Last Poems - show up, in Steven Holl's final selection.

The overlaps fascinate, but so do the differences. Stan Allen betrays himself as a systems thinker, Michael Sorkin as a political activist. Tschumi's kinetic, cinematographically oriented aestheticism contrasts with Holl's more quiet, contemplative disposition. Eisenman, as an arch-postmodernist, provides a counterweight to Michael Graves' penchant for solidity and monumentality. And then there is the way in which these architects arrange their books, the types of shelves they choose, the kinds of ordering they impose. I love Henry Cobb's classic, meticulously designed embedded bookcases. But I am also mesmerised by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien's home library, where books, in no particular order, are surrounded by mysterious objects.

The conversations are very short and serious and point to graver questions about the nature of the architectural practice in a world that is dominated by the computer, the virtual. Graves:

"I want to know where we've come from. And I see students now being excited by the way they can make an object turn in space, inside out and upside down, using the machine. That in itself has become the moment of discovery. But it doesn't engage human concerns, or the myths and rituals of the origins of architecture. I don't see the interest in books and literature, not necessarily books, but the literature of architecture, as I once did."

Inevitably, one cannot escape the temptation to peruse this book as a kind of catalogue, disclosing significant tracts of unknown bibliographic repertoire. But this requires patience. There is no index of all the books shown, nor is there the ease of automated search as Amazonians are used to. The only accommodation is that his little book can be easily turned to 90 degrees so as to facilitate the navigation of this fascinating and comforting landscape.

[R.B. Lemberg]

Great interviews. Would have appreciated a longer book with a more diverse group of interviewees.

[Shrike58]

To be honest, my motivation in picking up this book was mostly about consuming some book-shelf porn, as I figured that architects would tend to have very nice library set-ups, and such was the case. However, the main point here is that Steffans wants to get at the motivations behind the various collections, and what books mean to the various subject personalities.

The single most interesting entry for me was that of Peter Eisenman, who I actually had the opportunity to meet when I was an undergrad at the University of Pittsburgh (this being the fall of 1979 or 1980). What I actually found somewhat poignant was Eisenman relating how books kept him going when he did his military service in South Korea in the mid-1950s, and the periodic intellectual care packages from home were a life saver.

Actual rating: 3.5.

[Rebecca]

Books on shelves, and the particular books on shelves, speak so highly to the thoughtfulness and consideration of the subjects.

[ReviewingTheChapters]

Unpacking My Library is a rewarding exploration of the relationship between reading, collecting, and creative practice. Through a series of interviews accompanied by photographs of personal libraries and curated reading lists, the book offers a glimpse into the monumental worlds that have shaped some of the most influential architects of our time.

What makes this work particularly compelling is its ability to reveal architecture as a discipline deeply intertwined with literature, philosophy, history, art, and culture. The participating architects speak candidly about the texts that have influenced their thinking, the collections they have assembled over decades, and the ways in which engagement with the written word continues to inform both their professional endeavors and personal pursuits. Their reflections demonstrate that architecture does not emerge in isolation but develops through an ongoing conversation with ideas encountered across a lifetime of study.

The interviews are insightful and diverse, allowing each contributor’s personality, interests, and experiences to emerge with clarity. Whether discussing the discovery of literature, the value of intellectual curiosity, the importance of cultural exploration, or the role of libraries as lifelong companions, the participants offer perspectives that extend far beyond the architectural profession. The collection succeeds in illustrating how personal libraries become records of intellectual growth, preserving the influences, questions, and enthusiasms that accompany a creative journey.

The photographs add another dimension to the project, transforming private collections into visual portraits of their owners. Combined with the interviews, they create a captivating record of how books occupy both physical and imaginative realms. Readers are invited not only to appreciate these remarkable libraries but also to consider the works that have shaped their own interests, aspirations, and understanding of the world.

Beautifully conceived and thoughtfully assembled, Unpacking My Library celebrates the enduring power of the written word to inspire discovery, stimulate creativity, and connect individuals across disciplines and generations. It is a work that will appeal to architects, bibliophiles, scholars, and anyone interested in the relationship between reading and the development of ideas. This enriching and memorable collection affirms the lasting significance of the personal library as a source of knowledge, imagination, and human connection.

[Two Readers in Love]

Recommended on NPR: http://www.npr.org/2011/12/09/1432229...

[Kathy]

Great photos and interesting lists of preferences

[Elizabeth]

This another book whose form I only wish my dissertation could emulate. A perfectly designed and orchestrated collection of interviews with architects, paired with photos of their home libraries (both at a distance and up close so you can read titles on individual shelves). The way the architects relate to their books both reflects and refracts the common narratives of book collectors. Many of them view their books as reflections on themselves, and are able to recall aspects of their lives from the materiality of the volumes. However, unlike collectors, most of the architects are heavy users of their volumes, and have assembled their libraries haphazardly without (for the most part) cognizance of how the books relate to each other. The pictures in the volume are lovely. I could linger over them for hours. The fact the entire collection is prefaced by Benjamin's "Unpacking my Library" essay is similarly apt. Also of note, each architect was prompted to identity the "top ten" volumes from their collection. There are (given that the book is only comprised of 10 interviews) amazing connections amongst the choices, virtually none of which are ostensibly architecture-related. Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow as well as Joyce's Finnegan's Wake emerge as the most obvious examples (have these people really read these books, or are are they choosing these particular volumes for cultural capital?). I was also surprised by how many postmodern and film theorists appear on the shelves and lists of favorites. Just more proof about how much you can surmise from looking at a person's books.

[Boyd]

A fascinating, surprising, and smartly designed little book containing brief interviews with several influential architects about their personal libraries. The subjects comment on the book-collecting impulse, the shape and sometimes the history of their own collections, and how certain volumes--frequently in topic areas far outside the architectural disciplines--particularly influence and inform their work. In addition to the interview proper, each section contains a "top ten" list from the designer profiled, and it's interesting to see which titles crop up on more than one list. COMPLEXITY AND CONTRADICTION, sure; but GRAVITY'S RAINBOW?

Luckily, the interviewer(s)'s self-important questions don't prevent the reader from discerning how much these architects revere books, books-as-objects, and book culture. It's an encouraging discovery in today's book-averse social climate.

In a charming design twist, UNPACKING MY LIBRARY's landscape format permits several longitudinal photographs of the bookshelves of each interviewee. Keep your magnifying glass handy: it's hard to read those titles just by squinting.

[Ben]

This book started with an introduction that was just dripping with pretension. The interviews with the individual artchitects weren't much better. The real meat of this book was the pictures of the architects' bookshelves. There's almost a veuyeristic quality to looking at someone else's bookshelves. You can probably learn more about them by looking at what they've read than any other material possession you can look at. I did end up with a solid list of books that I'll have to at least check out from books on the bookshelves as well as the various architects' top ten lists.

Also, from a technical aspect, I think they could've done a better job of taking the photos. If they would've used a wide angle lens and photoshopping out the distortion, they could've taken a full shelf without having to take several photos and photoshopping them together which led to books looking like they were sitting wide open on the shelf. I mean you're focusing on architects so you have to do these things well. The presentation is important. Also a little more spotlight on the shelves, which would've required a little better designed shelves.

[Daniel Burton-Rose]

I'm always happy to read about collectors and their collections. The interviewer asked the architects questions that reflected deep knowledge of their respective oeuvres. Of the twelve architects interviewed only one, Michael Sorkin, exhibited a keen interest in utopianism and ecology. This is disappointing, but not surprising in the artform most beholden to elite interests.
One formatting problem: a lot of the pictures of the architects' shelves are blurry, so it gives you a headache to look at them. And what's the point of page 104, a picture of two shelves of boxes with labels we can't make out? Aren't expensive art books not supposed to have these problems? Urban Center Books, the host of the original exhibit, has since closed, and both the "stable" url provided in the book and that on Yale University Press's website lead to Japanese language sites. Go digital humanities!

[Alex]

Published in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name, Unpacking My Library opens with an essay from Walter Benjamin. "... there are spirits, or at least little genii, which have seen to it that for a collector - and I mean a real collector, a collector as he ought to be - ownership is the most intimate relationship that one can have to objects. Not that they come alive in him; it is he who lives in them. So I have erected one of his dwellings, with books as the building stones, before you, and now he is going to disappear inside, as is only fitting." The pages that follow present a series of bookshelf images along with commentary from each Architect. The jargon sometimes makes the text less accessible, but the images alone would have interesting enough for me.

[Alexander Christman]

i loved the concept and the inclusion of walter benjamin's titular essay was quite enjoyable. that said, the photography was distractingly flawed and the interviews were surprisingly flat and torpid. the project feels far too stretched and could have done without the inclusion of the interviews between the photographs and reading lists.

i was thrilled, however, with the inclusion of toshiko mori, though this underscored the lack of women included in the project.

[Antonia]

Captivating design and great content.
For those interested in architecture this is a very enjoyable read that explores the books which have inspired and influenced some of the most creative minds in the field. I am fond of examining private libraries so going through this was not only a great pleasure but also served as a stimulus to start on some of the books I have collected on architecture and which, surprisingly, occur quite frequently on architect's bookshelves.

[John]

How is it that architects can take something as simple as "making nice buildings" and "owning good books" and turn it into a massive circle-jerk of made up words?

That being said, it was interesting seeing their top 10 books, and it's a visually pleasing book.

[Tiff]

liked it:)