A Booklover’s Paradise
My friend and I enjoyed a recent Friday evening at the Morgan Library & Museum. We approached our visit with a seriousness and devotion associated with a religious pilgrimage.
When we entered J.P. Morgan’s study, we felt as if we were invited into a magnificent and different world. Every reader and writer longs for a private study. Most make do with a living room corner or a tiny back room. Not J.P. Morgan.
The study of J.P. Morgan, Morgan Library & Museum. I might never be satisfied with my humble desk again. (Photograph by author)
J.P. Morgan was a collector of rare books and manuscripts and built an enviable private library. His son made it a public institution in 1924.
My friend and I silently marveled at the library’s floor-to-ceiling shelves and beautiful interior design. With this library, Morgan had access to the accumulated knowledge and stories of the world.
The private library of J.P. Morgan, Morgan Library & Museum. Imagine reading in this room at night. (Photograph by author)
Our evening marked my friend’s first encounter with the Morgan Library. I’m confident that he’ll be returning. I know that I will.
Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Dear David,
we are very impressed by this library. We are booklovers and our dear Master wrote most of his books in our library at home but that is nothing compared to J.P. Morgan’s library.
We visited libraries all over Europe because we had a comission to write about libraries. In Europe we found the most beautiful libraries in Dublin – except libraries with real rarities like Wolfenbüttel, St. Gallen and Uppsala.
Thanks for sharing
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thank you for reading! I visited the Marsh Library in Dublin years ago. Did you write about that one? Send me a link to your work on libraries. Sounds interesting.