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Massimo Listri: The World's Most Beautiful Libraries/ Die Schonsten Bibliotheken Der Welt/ Les Plus Belles Bibliotheques Du Monde Hardcover – June 15, 2018

Multilingual Edition by Georg Ruppelt (Author), Elisabeth Sladek (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 131 ratings
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From the mighty halls of ancient Alexandria to the coffered ceilings of the Morgan Library in New York, human beings have had a long, enraptured relationship with libraries. Like no other concept and like no other space, the collection of knowledge, learning, and imagination offers a sense of infinite possibility. It’s the unrivaled realm of discovery, where every faded manuscript or mighty clothbound tome might reveal a provocative new idea, a far-flung fantasy, an ancient belief, a religious conviction, or a whole new way of being in the world.

In this new photographic journey, Massimo Listri travels to some of the oldest and finest libraries to reveal their architectural, historical, and imaginative wonder. Through great wooden doors, up spiraling staircases, and along exquisite, shelf-lined corridors, he leads us through outstanding private, public, educational, and monastic libraries, dating as far back as 766. Between them, these medieval, classical, baroque, rococo, and 19th-century institutions hold some of the most precious records of human thought and deed, inscribed and printed in manuscripts, volumes, papyrus scrolls, and incunabula. In each, Listri’s poised images capture the library’s unique atmosphere, as much as their most prized holdings and design details.

Featured libraries include the papal collections of the Vatican Apostolic Library, Trinity College Library, home to the Book of Kells and Book of Durrow, and the holdings of the Laurentian Library in Florence, the private library of the powerful House of Medici, designed by Michelangelo. With meticulous descriptions accompanying each featured library, we learn not only of the libraries’ astonishing holdings—from which highlights are illustrated—but also of their often lively, turbulent, or controversial pasts. Like Altenburg Abbey in Austria, an outpost of imperial Catholicism repeatedly destroyed during the European wars of religion, or the Franciscan monastery in Lima, Peru, with its horde of archival Inquisition documents.

At once a bibliophile beauty pageant, an ode to knowledge, and an evocation of the particular magic of print, Massimo Listri. The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries is above all a cultural-historical pilgrimage to the heart of our halls of learning, to the stories they tell, as much as those they gather in printed matter along polished shelves.

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  1. Print length
    558 pages
  2. Language
    Multilingual
  3. Publisher
    Taschen America Llc
  4. Publication date
    June 15, 2018
  5. Dimensions
    11.42 x 0.04 x 15.55 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    3836535246
  7. ISBN-13
    978-3836535243
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

Massimo Listri. The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries
Massimo Listri. The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries

Temples of Knowledge

Bibliophiles, rejoice! In this rapturous photographic journey, Massimo Listri travels to some of the oldest and finest libraries around the world to celebrate their architectural and historical wonder. From medieval to 19th-century institutions, private to monastic collections, this is a cultural-historical pilgrimage to the heart of our halls of learning and the stories they tell.

Massimo Listri. The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries

Exceptional access to the world’s illustrious libraries

“There was a time when extravagant cathedrals were created just to house books and manuscripts. Listri’s large-format photographs document European libraries built between the 15th and the 19th century…”

The New York Times

Massimo Listri. The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries

Massimo Listri. The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries

Massimo Listri. The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries

In this new photographic journey, Massimo Listri travels to some of the oldest and finest libraries to reveal their architectural, historical, and imaginative wonder.

Through great wooden doors, up spiraling staircases, and along exquisite, shelf-lined corridors, he leads us through outstanding private, public, educational, and monastic libraries, dating as far back as 766. Between them, these medieval, classical, baroque, rococo, and 19th-century institutions hold some of the most precious records of human thought and deed, inscribed and printed in manuscripts, volumes, papyrus scrolls, and incunabula.

In each, Listri’s poised images capture the library’s unique atmosphere, as much as their most prized holdings and design details.

Massimo Listri. The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries

Massimo Listri. The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries

Massimo Listri. The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries

Massimo Listri. The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries

Edition: English, French, German

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Prepare to be transported to heaven on earth.” ― BBC

“Listri’s meticulous attention to minutiae and details is exquisite. One can practically smell the dust on these ancient books.” ― Artology

About the Author

Elisabeth Sladek studied Art History in Vienna, Classical Archaeology and Judaic Studies and wrote her dissertation at the Max Planck Institute in Rome. Her special field is the history of the Baroque art and architecture and she is an active researcher and teacher, among others in Vienna, Rome and Zurich. She also publishes regularly on the respective themes.



After studying history, German language and literature, education and philosophy, Georg Ruppelt gained his PhD with a doctoral thesis on Friedrich Schiller. He subsequently worked as a librarian, becoming deputy director of the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel in 1987, and director of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Bibliothek in Hanover from 2002 to 2016. Ruppelt has published over 400 essays and 40 monographs on the subject of books, library science, and cultural history.



Massimo Listri, a Florence native, is a photographer renowned for his masterful architectural and interior compositions. Known for capturing the opulence and rich histories of palaces, libraries, and museums, his work has been featured in design magazines and, in collaboration with international publishers, been collated into over 70 books. He has photographed numerous notable sites, including the Vatican Library and the Palace of Versailles.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Taschen America Llc; Multilingual edition (June 15, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ Multilingual
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 558 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 3836535246
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-3836535243
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.07 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 11.42 x 0.04 x 15.55 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 131 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

She Who Shall Remain Nameless
5.0 out of 5 stars The most stunning book that I’ve ever seen!!!
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2021
Verified Purchase
When I opened this fifteen pound book up I was absolutely Gobsmacked!!! The photography is stunning. The paper used for both the text and photographs is top quality. The packaging is top notch. The following are my most memorable takeaways from reading this phenomenal book. My hands down favorite was the first library featured, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana In the Vatican City State. The woodwork and library ladders at Biblioteca Palatina in Parma are gorgeous. The ceiling paintings at Real Biblioteca del Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Madrid are masterpieces. The Private libraries of Eastnor Castle and Bibliotheque Charles de Beistegui at the Chateau de Groussay were like a dream. Also of note were the handcarved figures at Stiftsbibliothek Waldsassen, the stunning interiors of Stiftsbibliothek Melk, the sheer scale of Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek and Strahovska Knihovna, and the gothic interiors of Real Gabinete Portugues de Leitura in Rio de Janeiro. I have a giant personal library of my own, and now this book is the showpiece of my collection.
14 people found this helpful
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SF BB
5.0 out of 5 stars A must for any bibliophiles own library!
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2023
Verified Purchase
The pictures are breathtakingly beautiful in this multiligual tome. I've enjoyed reading it in two other languages (great practice) nearly as much. A fabulous gift for the bibliophile in your life, or yourself. The seller packaged this beautiful book to arrive as fresh as it looked hot off the press; I highly recommend.
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Fred L Bookstein
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb images and commentary, superbly published
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2018
Verified Purchase
This is the most beautiful book I have ever owned. Indeed, it may be the most beautiful book I have ever held. Browsing its pages on a reading desk is as sublime an experience as looking at the images enlarged to 200 cm by 160 cm on the walls of the Bassano Saal, Kunsthistorische Museum, Vienna, where I first saw many of these same compositions a few years ago. The introductory essay by Georg Ruppelt, on libraries as the "memory of the world," is hopeful and inspiring, and the brief histories by Elisabeth Sladek of the individual collections and their buildings will interest bibliophiles and architectural historians alike. In the quality of the reproductions and their binding Taschen has exceeded even its own superb standards. My only regret is that Listri had not immortalized the great Mackintosh library in the Glasgow School of Art before its destruction by fire in 2014. Outstanding!
52 people found this helpful
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Jenna
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2018
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This is the most beautiful book I have ever seen. It was a gift to my mother and I made her agree to will it to me when she passes. The pages are thick and we can stare at the images for hours. I love that they are separated by region so when traveling it makes it easy to make a "must see" list. Worth every penny and more!
12 people found this helpful
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Lily G N.
5.0 out of 5 stars INSTANT EYE CANDY
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2019
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BEAUTIFUL!! This book will have you turning the pages for hours!! While I agree with the comments that this book is mainly of European libraries, it DOES NOT DISAPPOINT. The illustrations are breathtaking. Fair warning, it is very large in size and very heavy. I have it placed as the centerpiece of my coffee table and everyone who lays eyes on it is instantly taken. I’ve wanted this book ever since I saw it at Taschen. BUY THIS BOOK, YOU WILL LOVE IT.
7 people found this helpful
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Karen
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a beautiful book!!
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2022
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I gave this book to my daughter-in-law for her birthday. She loved it! It is a beautiful book! Such high quality!
2 people found this helpful
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Yossarian
4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful but Incomplete
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2018
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This book is an awe-inspiring work of art, but it should more accurately be titled "Europe's Most Beautiful Libraries, with limited content from the US, Mexico, Brazil, and Peru thrown in as an afterthought."
22 people found this helpful
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Kim Zaksek
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book!
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2019
Verified Purchase
I bought this book for my daughter as a gift. She loves to read and already has quite a book collection as a young adult. The book is absolutely beautiful! The photographs, information, text, and quality are wonderful. It is also much larger than I expected. She said it was her favorite Christmas gift this year.
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Lorenzo Denis La Fortezza
5.0 out of 5 stars Belíssimas Fotos
Reviewed in Brazil on May 4, 2022
Verified Purchase
Belíssimas Fotos. Maximo Listri mostra em detalhes a beleza destas maravilhosas bibliotecas.
Livro obrigatório para qualquer amante de artes e fotografia.
3 people found this helpful
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George Pitiris
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2023
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Excellent book!
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Guillermo Elias
4.0 out of 5 stars Buen Libro.
Reviewed in Mexico on July 9, 2019
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Libro muy bonito y de gran calidad. Muy recomendable. Solo quiero dar 3 datos de utilidad: el texto viene en Inglès , Francès y Alemàn; respecto a las fotos, son de gran calidad y en gran cantidad. La gran mayorìa son a pàgina entera y algunas a doble pàgina. Preciosas. El ùnico pero, es que casi la mitad de ellas no fotografìan a la biblioteca en sì, sino estanterìas en donde se ve solamente los lomos de los libros. Por ùltimo: las medidas que se dan son las medidas del estuche de cartòn del libro. El libro (grande y bonito) en realidad mide 40.7 x 30 x 6.5 cm.
One person found this helpful
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Valentina Deanesi
5.0 out of 5 stars Libro meraviglioso
Reviewed in Italy on July 20, 2019
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Il libro è meraviglioso. È stato un regalo di compleanno veramente molto apprezzato. Taschen è da sempre sinonimo di grande qualità.
One person found this helpful
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Paula
5.0 out of 5 stars Libro para disfrutar con sus espectaculares fotografías
Reviewed in Spain on December 26, 2018
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Espectacular libro , la calidad de sus fotos junto con el grosor del papel hacen de éste un regaló increíble , lo único es que el libro pesa bastante
One person found this helpful
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