shelf-reflection

Thomas Jefferson famously quoted “I cannot live without books.” After visiting his famous Virginia home, Monticello, I witnessed firsthand evidence of his obsessive literary surroundings. Every available wall of his personal library was papered with a lifelong collection of books. He obviously required a nest feathered with reams of studious volumes.

Today, we’re blessed with such technology that allows us to carry hundreds of books in what amounts to one good sized pamphlet. Your library can literally reside on your bedside table. Why then, do we seek to litter a room with archaic books? Do we just like to dust? Most clients come to our initial meetings with a program – a list of rooms they want in their new house. More often than not, that list includes a library. I’ve found there’s a romantic notion in this request; it’s much more than a functional repository for the inevitable tomes we accumulate merely by living long enough. I feel most of the books we lug in all those oh-so-heavy boxes throughout our lives represent important touchstones. Lining a den with these seem to offer great comfort. These are bits of information, memories, entertainment and images we’ve deemed crucial enough not only to read, but to hold onto and cherish. Surrounding ourselves in a tangible collection of recollection and reference is like putting on an old coat – intimate, familiar and warm.

What is a library but a learned, informed and inquisitive mind made real? Immersed in the millions of words that have formed us over a lifetime, we find comfort and solace in a life well-read.

Once there, we kindle the hearth and sit down with a well-worn friend to fire the imagination. And it’s not with a Kindle.