Packing My Library

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 to 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.

English First Editions

New Haven, 2018    
Yale University Press
160 p.

9780300219333

International First Editions

2017 Mexico
Mientras embalo mi biblioteca

9786078486496

2017 Spain
Mientras embalo mi biblioteca

9788491048695

2018 France
Je remballe ma bibliothèque

9782330113650

2018 Germany
Die verborgene Bibliothek

9783104906652

2018 Italy
Vivere con i libri

9788806239770

2018 Lebanon
ذاكرة القراءة

9786140320567

2018 Portugal
Embalando a Minha Biblioteca

9789896714260

2019 Canada
Je remballe ma bibliothèque

9782760913165

2018 XXX
XXX

9780300244526

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