The Library of Philip Johnson: Selections from the Glass House

The Library of Philip Selections from the Glass House provides a look at the tastes and influences of architect Philip Johnson. It includes a full inventory of Johnson’s collection as well as more than 350 photographic illustrations culled from 100 selections out of Johnson’s private study at the Glass House. This rare glimpse into Johnson’s library, along with the accompanying original text on 100 selections, gives the reader a unique and fresh insight into the visual impulses and ideas that shaped the architect’s creative processes and diverse body of work.
From modernism, via the classical, to the postmodern, this book showcases an exquisitely curated sample of Johnson’s large and eclectic collection. The Library of Philip Johnson invites an exploration of the structures, sculptural and functional, that moved the man who spent the better part of the twentieth century at the forefront of architecture. From the impeccable to the fantastic, the images in this volume reverberate through Johnson’s own architecture and offer new ways of seeing his concepts and designs.
This is the first book to be created and published by Birch Books Conservation Inc., a nonprofit founded to publish books on the private library collections of notable Americans. All proceeds from this book go to the Glass House to conserve Philip Johnson’s library.
“Philip Johnson’s library is as eclectic as his architecture. It is an impressive collection that reflects his wide ranging interest in all aspects of both historical and contemporary architecture. The Library of Philip Johnson is a reference for every architect.” —Richard Meier, Architect
“This profusely illustrated and annotated documentation of Johnson’s library offers a direct view into the furnishing of his mind. The major images and symbols that shaped his architecture can be found among these pages.” —Vincent Scully, Dean of Yale