Packing My Library: An Elegy and Ten Digressions - Softcover

Manguel, Alberto

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    2,544 ratings by Goodreads
 
9780300244526: Packing My Library: An Elegy and Ten Digressions
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0300244525 ISBN 13: 9780300244526
Publisher: Yale University Press, 2019

Synopsis

A best-selling author and world-renowned bibliophile meditates on his vast personal library and champions the vital role of all libraries.

“The author brings a fresh hopefulness to the enterprise of books and reading. Vintage Manguel—a pleasure for his many readers and admirers.”—Kirkus Reviews

In June 2015 Alberto Manguel prepared to leave his centuries-old village home in France’s Loire Valley and reestablish himself in a one-bedroom apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Packing up his enormous, 35,000‑volume personal library, choosing which books to keep, store, or cast out, Manguel found himself in deep reverie on the nature of relationships between books and readers, books and collectors, order and disorder, memory and reading. In this poignant and personal reevaluation of his life as a reader, the author illuminates the highly personal art of reading and affirms the vital role of public libraries.
 
Manguel’s musings range widely, from delightful reflections on the idiosyncrasies of book lovers to deeper analyses of historic and catastrophic book events, including the burning of ancient Alexandria’s library and contemporary library lootings at the hands of ISIS. With insight and passion, the author underscores the universal centrality of books and their unique importance to a democratic, civilized, and engaged society.

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About the Author

Alberto Manguel is a writer, translator, editor, and critic, but would rather define himself as a reader and a lover of books. From 2015 to 2018 he was the director of the National Library of Argentina. Born in Buenos Aires, he has since resided in Israel, Argentina, Europe, the South Pacific, and Canada. His previous books include The Library at Night, A Reader on Reading, and Curiosity. He now lives in New York City.

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Publisher
Yale University Press
Publication date
2019
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0300244525
ISBN 13 
9780300244526
Binding
Paperback
Number of pages
160
Rating
  • 3.89 out of 5 stars
    2,544 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780300219333: Packing My Library: An Elegy and Ten Digressions

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  0300219334 ISBN 13:  9780300219333
Publisher: Yale University Press, 2018
Hardcover