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“A house that has a library has a soul.”
– Plato

Just like A History Of Reading is an unabashed book about all things reading, The Library At Night is an unabashed book about the veritable signature sanctum for all readers throughout history: The Library.

Looking at libraries from fifteen different perspectives, Manguel shows us the The Library as myth, order, space, power, shadow, shape, chance, workshop, mind, island, survival, oblivion, imagination, identity and home.

In each of these respective chapters, the author keenly compares each topic to the library, and in a very refreshing, vivid, and thoughtful way shows us how the library fulfills each of those themes.

Since time immemorial, entering a library has always been seen as entering a different domain. It matters not whether one is merely a researcher, a reader, a student, or someone else. Everyone knows that the library is a place of adventure, place of learning, a place of rumination. The fact that one can hear pin drops in libraries [and most book stores for that matter] shows the respect everyone has for such an ancient intellectual sanctum. Throughout the book, the same level of respect is shown by Manguel as he takes us on a journey on all things libraries.

For avid learners, libraries have always been a private realm, a place of mental solitude and discernment. Any individual, at any time, in any place can keenly escape into the mental freedoms such a place affords.

In a sense, libraries are a page of human history – a well known locale in which one can hearken back in time, and even forward, to witness the totality of the human experience. Or at least what’s left of its memories.

Be that as it may, Libraries haven’t always been respected. Within this book, Manguel details a few of the most heinous human acts: the destruction of libraries.

Given that books impart great power, books have always been seen as dangerous by those in power. Libraries are symbols of what human nature can accomplish when totally free to explore and create, which is why time and time again there are those who have sought to destroy them, to keep people dumbed down and ignorant of the roots of civilization – the veritable pages of history.

As Manguel sobberingly notes:

“The libraries that have vanished or have never been allowed to exist greatly surpass in number those we can visit…”[1]

Of those that remain:

“Throughout history, the victor’s library stands as the emblem of power, repository of the official version [of history], but the version that haunts us is the other, the version of the library of ashes. The victim’s library, abandoned or destroyed, keeps on asking, “How were such acts possible?”[2]

What has humanity forgotten? What has gone by the wayside to the sands of time? It’s worth ruminating upon, especially since the cycles of history teach us that sooner or later, the war against books and libraries takes center stage.

And given that censorship of articles, books and blogs is beginning to run rampant as governments and institutions try to censor “fake news”, the modern version of book burning will merely be the censorship of the written word through the landscape of the Internet, and many are feeling the flames of this fierce fire, myself included. Again, what are they trying to prevent? What are they trying to hide? Each and every one of us should ponder these questions deeply.

Mostly though, Libraries conjure positive thoughts, and most of the book covers the positive aspects that libraries infuse into individuals.

Manguel elucidates on this:

“The existence of any library, even mine, allows readers a sense of what their craft is truly about, a craft that struggles against the stringencies of time by bringing fragments of the past into the present. It grants them a glimpse, however secret or distant, into the minds of other human beings, and allows them a certain knowledge of their own condition through the stories stored here for their perusal. Above all, it tells the reader that their craft consists of the power to remember, actively, through the prompt of the page, selected moments of the human experience.”[3]

Those reasons are exactly why libraries will confer power, because they allow individuals to become self sufficient in more ways than they can imagine, fine tuning their mental faculties in ways no other place does.

Libraries help us see the past, but even better, help us imagine a greater future.

In a time where countless issues abound, imagining a better future is certainly a prospect worthy of proper ponderance.

Whether you are a student, a researcher, a reporter, or merely a reader, the library will always provide a sanctum, a personal space, like a warm fire at night, to be used at any moment. In similar fashion, this book provides readers with comfort and all the amenities that libraries provide, but in book fashion. If that notion appeals to you, then you will undoubtedly enjoy this book.

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Footnotes:

[1] Alberto Manguel, The Library At Night, pg. 124.
[2] Ibid., pg. 247.
[3] Ibid., pg. 30.

Sad to say, but this book turned out to be one of diminishing returns. Manguel is a clear lover of books and libraries, and he researched intriguing stories about various libraries, their development, their architecture, their necessity, their maps of the human mind. But just like another book I read a few years back that tried to address the joys and magic of reading and books, I found Manguel's ideas interesting but not world-shifting. This book certainly deserves its praise, for his efforts are clearly heartfelt and thorough, but I must admit that I find the overall tone a little one-note. Thus, the trend of categories through which he studies the concept of the library (as memory, as shadow, as shape, as oblivion) less and less surprising and thus less and less engaging. Perhaps some left-turns and even more self-doubt or -criticism might have taken this into more compelling directions.

As a writer and researcher I have been privileged to use several of the Libraries mentioned in this useful and highly entertaining volume. In addition I have accumulated several small libraries of my own over the years as my interests changed and developed. First aviation and electronics, then photography and art. Then the photography and art had to be sold to make way for early Buddhist works in English, then much of that left so that I could accumulate everything I could find on early forms of hands on healing from Aesculapius to Mesmer and current forms. Now my largest collection covers birds and birding.
I seem to have become addicted to libraries!
The Library at Night is a fine, fine book, full of tales of libraries and books by a man who loves both and writes about them beautifully.
A true delight to read.
Richard, Sausalito

I loved this book. The author captures the essence and passion of all of us who love books. I am not talking just of people who read, but of those of us who have books all over the house and are reluctant to part with any of them. Please,if you walk into a library and cannot decide where to start; if you go into a bookstore to buy A book and come out several hours later with a bag full; if you are late to work because you picked up a book and lost track of time then I encourage you to read this book.

I must preface this review by saying that, 1) I am an avid book collector and reader, and 2) I tend to prowl around the house (and my library in particular) late at night after the family are all asleep.

I can't imagine anyone who has grown, or dreams of growing, a personal library not loving this book. It's like sitting and chatting with a wise, engaging friend about a mutual love of books and libraries. Manguel writes the words, I speak them in my head, but they feel like they came right out of my own heart. I won't try to describe these essays in any detail. I know I will read them again and again and they will never grow stale. Suffice it to say that, when it comes to books about books, it may not be possible to beat "The Library at Night".

While not a history or philosophy text, the reader will find plenty of both in this collection of essays about libraries. The author begins with his own library, its building and organization, then expands to include musings on a variety of topics related to libraries and book collections. The author's grasp of multiple languages reflects his own cosmopolitan leanings, which he advocates for all.

A beautiful book for book lovers. For me the perfect book for reading in bed before falling asleep. I learn some things, I am immersed in interesting thought and ideas, but without any tension. Just right for the time before sleep.

This is a book for the person who thinks a book is a necessary tool to greater knowledge. Without it one's library isn't full.
You can go into it wherever you choose and learn from the experience. And loving every minute of it! I envy the person who has this book to look forward to.