Logotopia: The Library in Architecture Art and the Imagination

Why are libraries such desirable commissions for contemporary architects and the frequent source of inspiration for artists and writers through the ages? LOGOTOPIA - the ancient Greek for word place - explores the library through architecture, art, and literature. With an astonishing multidisciplinary approach, these original writings examine both ancient and contemporary libraries - notably Egypt's Biblioteca Alexandria and Japan's Library of a Poet - as well as libraries of the imagination as seen through fiction, art, new media and pop culture. Punctuated with interviews and essays, LOGOTOPIA explores the library as a concept and a built form through four distinct forms: the Universal Library, the National Library, the Public Library and the Private Library. Discussions range from ancient Alexandria to modern Baghdad and from personal experiences to national identities. This original collection is richly illustrated with photographs, sculptures, models and installations from the past, present and perhaps the future.