The New York Public Library Book

Immerse yourself in the magnificent main branch of The New York Public Library from the comfort of your own home. One of the nation's architectural wonders, the breathtaking interiors and exteriors of this historical monument to knowledge are captured in 250 full-color photographs by Anne Day, while the words of Henry Hope Reed and Francis Monroe further illuminate every facet of the building as well as its inception and construction.

Designed by John Merven Carrère and Thomas Hastings, and inspired by the great classical buildings in Paris and Rome, the building was completed in 1911. The Library boasts a magnificent exterior, but that is only the beginning. In the interior, one splendid hall follows another, an awesome gallery leads to richly decorated rooms, and stairways are vaulted in marble. From the terrace to the breathtaking Main Reading Room is a triumphal way. All the devices of the classical tradition, the main artistic current of Western civilization, are brought into play. Maidens, cherubs, and satyr masks look down from ceilings. Lions' heads, paws, rams' heads, and griffins are on every side.

 

Authors: Henry Hope Reed, Francis Morrone

Photographer: Anne Day

Type: Hardcover

Pages: 320

Dim: 12½'' x 9½'' x 1½''

Item Number: 9780393078107