It has been said that reading books is surreal: You stare at marked slices of tree for hours on end, hallucinating vividly. Book lovers, therefore, are a strange bunch. They spend hours by themselves, escaping this world and immersing themselves in another. The variety of their worlds is as limitless as human knowledge. It’s a wonder that any one thing would bring these solitary souls together—until you consider the library.
Perhaps no institution in society holds as much promise as libraries do. For ancient monks, libraries were the repository of sacred knowledge; for early scientists, they made possible technical advancements and medical cures. The advent of the modern public library represents the greatest aspiration for civil society, namely that people would want to read, educate themselves, and actively broaden their horizons.
Of course, civil society is often under threat and therefore so are libraries. As repositories of theology and culture, libraries throughout history have come under fire—sometimes literally. Wars and fires have ravaged libraries, most notably the Library of Alexandria, but also lesser-known ones like Prague’sStrahov monastery library, which was destroyed by fire only to then suffer centuries of invading armies.
Threats to libraries aren’t always so extreme, though. The everyday problem of protecting antiquities from the ravages of time, or even merely from pests (both human and animal) is a principal concern. The Biblioteca Girolamini in Naples suffered at the hands of a crime ring that systematically plundered the collection in 2012, though librarians and bibliophiles the world over remarkably managed to recover the vast majority of stolen books.
Perhaps no institution in society holds as much promise as libraries do. For ancient monks, libraries were the repository of sacred knowledge; for early scientists, they made possible technical advancements and medical cures. The advent of the modern public library represents the greatest aspiration for civil society, namely that people would want to read, educate themselves, and actively broaden their horizons.
Of course, civil society is often under threat and therefore so are libraries. As repositories of theology and culture, libraries throughout history have come under fire—sometimes literally. Wars and fires have ravaged libraries, most notably the Library of Alexandria, but also lesser-known ones like Prague’sStrahov monastery library, which was destroyed by fire only to then suffer centuries of invading armies.
Threats to libraries aren’t always so extreme, though. The everyday problem of protecting antiquities from the ravages of time, or even merely from pests (both human and animal) is a principal concern. The Biblioteca Girolamini in Naples suffered at the hands of a crime ring that systematically plundered the collection in 2012, though librarians and bibliophiles the world over remarkably managed to recover the vast majority of stolen books.
Vatican Apostolic Library
The Vatican Apostolic Library is located inside the Vatican Palace and is entered via the Belvedere Courtyard. Pope Nicholas V (1447-1455) is credited with having founded the library but the first Cardinal librarian was appointed by Pope Paul III a century later, in 1548. Enriched by important donations, bequests and acquisitions under the pontificates of Leo XIII and Pius XI, the Library contains an enormous amount of books, manuscripts, incunabula and prints. It also runs the Vatican School of Library Science
BIBLIOTECA GIROLAMINI, NAPLES, ITALY
This 16th-century library is perhaps most famous for being methodically plundered by a crime ring in 2012. Approximately 80 percent of the stolen books have since been recovered, thanks to the help of antiquarian booksellers and collectors.
BIBLIOTECA ANGELICA, ROME, ITALY
Rome’s first public library, Biblioteca Angelica first started amassing its 200,000 volumes in the late 13th century before making it publicly available 300 years later. The collection includes a precious early copy of The Divine Comedy, and the first volume of Cicero’s De Oratore. The library is open to the public Monday through Friday, save for two weeks in August.
ACCADEMIA DELLE SCIENZE, TURIN, ITALY
In 1840, Charles Babbage brought his Analytical Engine—the first computer—to the Academy of Science in Turin. The Academy library and historic archive contains two centuries of letters, codices, manuscripts, and industrial patents donated by scholars associated with the institution.
BIBLIOTECA PALAZZO ALTIERI, ROME, ITALY
Now occupied by a bank, the Palazzo Altieri was once home to the Altieri family, a prominent Roman noble family that included Pope Clement X. When Clement X was elected in 1670, he had the top floor of the palace converted to a library, still known to be one of the most magnificent in Rome.
ACCADEMIA NAZIONALE DEI LINCEI E CORSINIANA, ROME, ITALY
The current library carries a double name owing to the origin of its collection. When the Italian state established a new seat for the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, the original Corsiniana library bequeathed its collection to the academy. The library is open to the public and offers guided tours.
BIBLIOTECA TERESIANA, MANTUA, ITALY
Opened to the public in 1780, the Biblioteca Teresiana still operates as a public library. Visitors should note the historic library is located within the building—just ask the staff to access it.
BIBLIOTECA PALATINA, PARMA, ITALY
A fire in 2012 broke out in one of the oldest galleries of the Biblioteca Palatina. Fortunately, most of its impressive collection was spared. Of its 708,000 works, the library contains one of the oldest surviving Jewish collections in the world, and original letters by Galileo, Machiavelli, Martin Luther, and Guiseppe Verdi.
BIBLIOTECA CIVICA, FERMO, ITALY
Founded in 1688, Biblioteca Civica principally houses medical and science texts bequeathed by physican Romolo Spezioli. Housed in the Globe Room, the library has been open to the public since its inception and can be visited as a complement to the main museum.