Lonely Planet Hidden Libraries: The World's Most Unusual Book Depositories

by DC Helmuth, Nancy Pearl

Overview

Discover 50 of the world's most magnificent hidden libraries - each with a unique and uplifting story to tell - featuring a foreword by librarian, bestselling author, and literary critic Nancy Pearl.

Book swap your latest read in a cool 1950s style fridge in New Zealand or hike through the ethereal woodlands of Eas Mor in Scotland where a hidden library in a small log cabin awaits. Each entry shares the library's mission and impact on the local community and offers fascinating stories from its resident caretaker.

Inside Hidden Libraries: 

• 50 enchanting, obscure and astounding libraries from around the world
• Fascinating insider knowledge and unique stories from each library's resident caretaker
• Captivating photos accompany every entry and the exact location of each hidden library is revealed
• Featured libraries include: North America - Idaho: Little Free Library in a Cottonwood Tree; California: The Prison Library Project. South America - Argentina: The Weapon of Mass Instruction; Colombia: The Biblioburro. Africa - Egypt: St Catherine's Monastery; Mali: The Timbuktu Manuscripts. Asia & the Middle East - China: The Lonely Library; Philippines: Reading Club 2000. Europe - England: Phone Booth Library; Norway: The Future Library. Oceania & Beyond - Antarctica: The Little Free Library at the South Pole; Outer Space: The International Space Station Library
• Written by Diana Helmuth, an award winning author who writes about subjects including travel, nature, and philosophical trends

 

From the rare to the romantic, this extraordinary guide to our planet's hidden libraries makes the ultimate gift for literature lovers, adventurers, and dreamers alike. Nothing brings people together quite like a good book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781837582723
Publisher:	Lonely Planet
Publication date:	11/05/2024
Series:	Lonely Planet Travel Guides Series
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	310,431
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.70(h) x 0.80(d)

Editorial Reviews

09/16/2024

Travel writer Helmuth (Fifty Places to Travel Solo) offers a charming celebration of unorthodox, out-of-the-way, and lesser-known places around the world where books are stored and shared. Among the 50 libraries featured is Street Books, a bike cart library in Portland, Ore., that serves patrons without IDs or the ability to pay overdue fines (“If we don’t cross paths again, we encourage folks to pass the books on to people who will enjoy them,” reads a statement on their website). The cabinet-size Little Free Library at the South Pole makes for a bright speck amid hundreds of miles of snow, while the Vatican Apostolic archives are accessible only via a vigorous screening process and contain “85 km (53 miles) of documents spanning twelve centuries of the Holy Roman Empire’s rule.” Vivid photographs bring the sites to life, and visiting information is provided for each library, even when the likelihood of getting there is low (London’s Arcadian library requires a personal petition) or nonexistent (the Home Library of Bruno Shröder in Mettingen, Germany, “cannot be visited. It’s real, but there is no publicly available address, no opening times and the librarian is deceased”). Bibliophiles will be enthralled. Photos. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly