Gadling

As much as I love books, and as often as I visit bookstores while abroad, the thought of actually visiting a public library while in another country never occurred to me.  Perhaps it’s because most American libraries tend to be so utterly banal, so thoroughly pedestrian, that were it not for the books, there would simply be no reason to visit. 

But this is not the case in Paris. 

Fellow bibliophile Richard B. Woodward at The New York Times has penned a wonderful piece about Parisian libraries that has opened my eyes to a new genre of tourist destination I would never have considered before. 

Unlike their American counterparts, Parisian libraries have opted for form over function and literally abound with architectural glory that encompasses more than five centuries of culture, artwork and craftsmanship.  The exuberance they express reflects an era when literature reigned supreme and great classics were honored with exquisite libraries and reading rooms that befitted literature’s high status in society. Take the Bibliothèque Mazarine, for example.  Founded in 1643, the interior is lined with Corinthian columns, antique busts, rocaille-style chandeliers, leather topped tables, carved wooden doors, and marble staircases (see photo).  It’s so painfully beautiful, you almost feel guilty actually reading a book while inside.  Nonetheless, the next time I’m in France and feel like whiling away the afternoon leisurely reading, it’s going to be in one of these fantastic libraries rather than some smoke filled Parisian café.