Book Porn

I cannot get enough of glimpses like these: celebrities’ libraries. Really, anyone’s library. If I walk into your house for the first time, and you have a bunch of books, I will walk over to inspect them before I even take my coat off. I don’t mean to be rude. It’s just a moth to the flame. (My favorite exchange from Bugs Life: two moths floating slowly towards a fluorescent bug-zapper. One says to the other, in an urgent tough-guy voice, “HARRY! HARRY! DON’T LOOK AT THE LIGHT!” Poor Harry responds in a flatlining zombie voice as he floats foward, “Ican’thelpitit’ssobeautiful ….” ZAP.) I am like Harry when I see a wall full of books. I also love the writer’s rooms series at The Guardian for a similar reason. I scan the famous writers offices and think, “Hm, that wouldn’t work for me … ooh, I like that … I want that desk … I hate that desk …” I like to get glimpses of how people set their stuff up, be it desks or books.

In the celebrity libraries links, I find the confluence of library and personality so fascinating. I haven’t even formulated my thoughts fully yet, but some of the libraries seem to “go” with the image I have of that person (Oprah’s for example: organized, with collections, and the entire focus of the room is THE BOOKS; and Woody Allen’s: elegant, slightly Victorian, the fireplace, the unbelievably comfy-looking couches), but others are more unexpected. Karl Lagerfeld’s is NUTS! And also awesome!

My favorite library in that series is Rod Stewart’s. I want that room. I must have that room. I actually do have a similar (albeit less palatial) vibe in my library right now: the white shelves, which lighten the room, and books from floor to ceiling. (I wrote about the development of that room in The Bookshelf Project, when good friends came to my aid in a pretty dark moment and basically put together the room for me.) I am so glad I went with the color white for my bookshelves. Originally I had wanted dark wood, but since the room is small I think it would have ended up making it feel cramped. Like I was being OWNED by my books, like they were towering in on me, as opposed to just filling up every bit of wall space in a graceful and beautiful manner.

Go check out the gallery of celeb libraries. Fascinating.

What libraries here are you drawn to?

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32 Responses to Book Porn

  1. Carrie says:

    I liked Sinatras – maybe because he looks so comfortable in it and like it is a room he uses. I liked Keatons except for how cold the lack of furniture made it seem

  2. Lisa says:

    I like Greta Garbo’s and Oprah’s because they make the OCD voices in my head sigh and go, “Yeessss.” Karl Lagerfeld’s is. . .::shudder::

  3. sheila says:

    Lisa – hahahahaha I remember I posted a picture of my books when I had them placed horizontally on the shelf, and you really couldn’t take it. Frankly, neither could I. It was an experiment! A totally FAILED one.

    Yes, Oprah’s is sleek and perfect, and yet (unlike Garbo’s) I get the sense that all of those books have been READ. Know what I mean?

  4. sheila says:

    Carrie – Yeah, I like the circular walls in Keaton’s but something about the room seems unwelcoming to me. Beautiful, but not a place to cozy up. Yeah, I love the Sinatra one too!

  5. JessicaR says:

    I really like Diane Keaton’s, almost like it’s a funky gallery in Santa Fe or Taos. It makes me want to browse and pull out a big coffee table book or maybe a novel and just collapse in a big comfy chair and read for an hour or so.

  6. David B. says:

    Someone pointed out in the comments section that it’s actually James Stewart’s library and not Rod Stewart’s. Explains the Air Force memorabilia on the table.

  7. I prefer Sinatra’s as well, although I prefer an armrest or two, but I would rather check out the Sheila O’Malley library as it made of books read and not simply collected.

  8. sheila says:

    David B – Well, whatever Stewart it is, I WANT that room.

  9. sheila says:

    Peter – yes, that’s the only thing off for me about the Sinatra one. I could never read in such a chair!!

  10. sheila says:

    Peter – Yes, books that are read so much that often they are taped together! Not all of them, obviously, but many of them! Once I finally got my library in order (meaning I actually had space for it) I felt so much better. I still do periodic purges (as a matter of fact I am long overdue) – sometimes I go through stuff and think, “Okay, I have no idea why I have hung onto this book”.

  11. milt says:

    The web site with the photos has some skeptical comments about how many of these books were actually read. There is a telling link, however, to a Spanish web site about Marilyn Monroe’s library of some 400 books, which included Tolstoy, Twain, first editions of Kerouac and The Invisible Man, The Great Gatsby, Dubliners, Hemingway and Camus. And I bet most of those were read. There are also some wonderful pictures of Marilyn Monroe reading.
    g

  12. sheila says:

    Milt – my favorite (I’m sure you’ve seen it) is the one of Marilyn reading Ulysses. And it’s clear, from the placement of the pages, that she’s reading Molly Bloom’s monologue. Good girl.

    I know she was a voracious reader.

  13. Dorothy says:

    Totally random, but: Karl Lagerfeld says that he has read over 100,00 (I think that’s the figure I read) books in his life. I’m not surprised his library made it on there.

    Here’s one link about his book habit: http://www.bookride.com/2010/10/book-collections-we-would-like-to-buy-1.html

  14. Jaquandor says:

    Ooooh…I hate Oprah’s. Hate it, hate it, hate it. There’s nothing about that library that says “This person loves to read” to me; it looks like what would result if the “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” people were told to build a room for someone who likes books. Garbo’s has the same effect. Sinatra’s, I like — it looks comfortable and like a place to read. (Except I’d be afraid of falling out of that chair during a nap.)

    You might like Bookshelf Porn, by the way. It’s exactly what it says it is — picture after picture of bookshelves, some awesome and some, well, less so.

  15. phil says:

    Way too neat. All of them.
    You’re welcome to view mine when you get around these parts.
    The open book case separates my kitchen and sitting room(a little dusty bookshelf Sherlock Holmes lingo there).

    So they smell a little like old books and a thousand tv dinners. :)

    • sheila says:

      I have to keep my books neat, too. I have a pretty elaborate filing system, and everything is in order – the rest of my apartment may be a wreck, but my books always look neat and clean and organized. It’s just one of those “things” I have. I’m really okay with clutter – my armchair has stacks of books and notebooks on the floor beside it, easy access for me … but my bookshelves are usually pristine. When they’re not, it’s a sign that something’s wrong!

      I’ll post some pics this weekend when I have a second. I love looking at people’s bookshelves!!

  16. tracey says:

    I haven’t read the comments or any of your thoughts on your favorites in the original post because I didn’t want what anyone else said influencing my pick — which is Rod Stewart’s. Karl Lagerfeld’s and Greta Garbo’s both frighten me. Garbo’s seems like it’s just for show, like it never gets used. I’m not whacky about the floral couches in Stewart’s, but I do love the overall feel of the room. It feels REAL and warm.

    Cool link, Sheila! Now I’m going to read the comments. ;-)

    • sheila says:

      I feel the same way about the floral couches, Tracey – but change them to a darker plush, and that room would be perfect. I just love the look and feel of the room, and love how the books ARE the walls – that was my goal, too. To not have them feel like they are jutting out from the walls and limiting my space, but actually BEING the walls. That is my favorite – I was drawn to Stewart’s immediately. The room feels lived-in too.

  17. Jason Bellamy says:

    Karl Lagerfeld’s should come with a salesperson from Urban Outfitters.

    Rod Stewart’s looks like the bookshelves should part down the corner to reveal his sex room.

    Diane Keaton’s looks like it’s attached to her greenhouse.

    Woody Allen’s looks practical, like the guy has actually read those books and will actually pick them up again, and like those aren’t the only books he’s ever read in his life, but just the ones he wants to keep.

    Joan Rivers’ looks like she doesn’t even know it’s there.

    Greta Garbo’s is straight outta North by Northwest.

    Kelsey Grammar’s says, “I’d like to snort coke off a fake tit.”

    And then there’s Oprah. Fucking Oprah. That shot is enough to make me want to play 1 Guy, 1 Cup with myself for the next hour. THAT is the library of the woman who is keeping Borders and Barnes & Noble in business? Are you fucking kidding me? Even Andy Warhol thinks she’s trying to hard with her color patterning. I think she gets into those books as often as she gets into Stedman’s pants.

    • sheila says:

      hahahahahahaha

      Love your comments! yes, Kelsey Grammar’s is quite odd. It’s like something that would be seen in the house of Clay Shaw (as played by Tommy Lee Jones) in JFK. Like: there’s something corrupt CLEARLY going on in that house.

      And Oprah’s, forgive me, looks like the basement library at the main Scientology Org here in New York. Why I was down there is a story I have yet to tell, but the prologue to it is here. We ended up spending 4 hours down in that basement library – we had to pry the recruiters’ hands off of us, almost literally – and it really looks exactly like that Oprah shot. Cold, and official, with books shouting WE ARE IMPORTANT at you on every shelf, just by their look and feel.

  18. Jason Bellamy says:

    Oh, by the way: I’m totally a book ogler like you are. Sometimes I’m blatant. Sometimes I try really hard to pretend to be interested in something else in the house before going back to the bookshelf.

    And nothing makes me more envious than someone with a cool writing work station — something simple, not too big, but with space to spread out, not too clean, but not too cluttered.

    • sheila says:

      Jason – yes, I have a dream work station in my mind – but I would need more space to achieve it. But someday I will have it!

      Glad to meet another book ogler. I care more about what books you have than your family photos, and that’s a sad but true fact!

  19. David says:

    I had to chuckle at the Rod vs. Jimmy Stewart — can’t imagine what would be in Rod’s library — drapes of tartan and footyball almanacs?

    However, from the comment section was a link to Keith Richards’ library,which I think winds the prize!

    http://ourlibrary.mornpen.vic.gov.au/Page/images/KeithRichardsLibrary.jpg

  20. sheila says:

    David – oh man. I am drooling over that Keith Richards one! Jealous!!!

  21. bybee says:

    I was most attracted to the Sinatra one and least attracted to Garbo’s.
    I read somewhere that John Laroquette has a good library. I’d love to see a picture of it.

  22. sheila says:

    I’ve seen photos of Neil Gaiman’s bookshelves and talk about having books be the walls! In Gaiman’s house, they are also the ceilings, the floors, the furniture, the coffee table. He could almost be featured on Hoarders, yet you can also see that, within the sheer MASS of books he has – they are strictly organized.

  23. Lee says:

    I’m drawn to Sinatra’s library — mostly because I love to see books stacked both horizontally and vertically. I envision the library owner on the phone with a friend and saying, “Hang on a minute,” while he grabs a book and reads a quote that adds to their discussion. When he’s done he stacks it horizontally on the shelf — not necessarily back in place. That would drive some people crazy, but not me. My brain just sort of remembers that I stacked it instead of re-filed it.

    I have a friend who uses the phrase “working library.” He’s mostly talking about marking up books so he can go back and find certain passages or comments he made, but I sort of expand the phrase to include even the way my books are stacked.

  24. Desirae says:

    Wow, that link to Keith Richard’s library is amazing. I think that’s my dream library, except I would want more light. Libraries are best for me when they look a bit dusty and cluttered. And Sinatra looks like he organizes his bookshelves on the same principle I do, which is the “put it where it fits” principle.

    I LOVE the chairs in Woody Allen’s. Gorgeous.

    How does Karl Lagerfield get anything off the shelf without pulling the books sitting on top of it onto his head?

    Oprah’s and Greta Garbo’s are decorator libraries for sure. Those books were picked for colour and size, not because they were intended to be read. Speaking of, I read this article the other day about a guy who does just that – he sets up libraries with a certain look for rich clients. Sometimes he re-binds the books, I think, or creates jackets of a certain colour for them. The article is right here:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/garden/06books.html?_r=2&hpw=&pagewanted=all

  25. amelie says:

    I was going to bring up Gaiman’s library; love it. It still seems cozy to me, instead of overwhelming, but perhaps that would change in person.

    I like book ogling, too. Every once in a while, I’ll visit someone with no books in sight. I have to hold back from searching for them.

  26. Another Sheila says:

    Sheila, do you have this book?

    http://www.amazon.com/At-Home-Books-Booklovers-Libraries/dp/0517595001/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295011612&sr=8-1

    If not, order it. You will DIE. It is amaaaaaaaaazing. Photos of dozens of home libraries around the world with fascinating commentary from each owner, interspersed with sections like “Library Lighting”, “The Art of the Bookshelf”, “Bookplates”, “Library Ladders” etc. Book porn for sure — you just want to crawl into the pages and live in them.

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