zu viel Dekor, zu wenig Bibliothek ( )

I thought there could not be a photo book of libraries that could turn me off. But here we are. There may be one or two that I would like to spend time in, but for the most, I found them either pretentious or haphazard. Can you really like books if you pile them thus? ( )

A genial picture book about the (huge) personal libraries of the French cultural elite. The book is divided into eight chapters according to profession/inspiration: Collectors, interior designers, designers, writers, fashionistas, journalists, artists and money bags. Some are working libraries, others for pleasure. Some display a personal reading history, others are for show. Some are inherited, some collected, others mere piles of unconnected books. Overall, a wonderful testament to book culture.

My only wish would have been a chapter on the books of the forgotten and the non-readers. The libraries of the poor in the HLM (housing projects) as well as the many yuppies with scarcely a book. ( )