Bibliostyle: How We Live at Home With Books

One of the best new coffee table books I’ve had the pleasure of reading this fall is Bibliostyle: How We Live at Home With Books, by Nina Freudenberger, which is out today! Nina features the amazing home libraries and bookshelves of 35 different people (authors, designers, hoteliers – a nicely eclectic mix), while also highlighting charming independent bookstores throughout. The absolutely gorgeous photography is by the immensely talented Shade Degges, and truly every page is a bookish delight. The collections and the ways they’re displayed and stored are as varied as the people who own them, and as someone who basically lives for bookshelves and book collections it’s just super fun to see.

Each person chronicled also shares what reading and books mean to them and the roles both play in their lives, as well as how they amass(ed) their collections, how they organize their libraries (the systems really run the gamut!), their feelings on their stuffed bookshelves (some are overwhelmed by them while others show no signs of slowing down!)…it was really cool to read all of these different perspectives on books in the home. I knew I would love Bibliostyle simply because bookshelves are the number one thing that makes me love an interior, but I was happy to find that the content of the book is just as rich and satisfying as the photos. And seriously, there are some EPIC home libraries in here. In fact, it really made me feel a lot better about my own book hoarder-ish ways…going by the standards set forth in Bibliostyle, my collections has only just begun!

Bibliostyle is out today, and I can’t recommend it highly enough! It’s a must for any book collector or lover of reading and design, and would make an excellent holiday gift. Clarkson Potter sent me a copy for this review and I’m so grateful! This is definitely going to be a treasured tome in my own (modest!) home library.

top photos by me, excerpted pages courtesy of the publisher

Leave a Comment

  1. Alex wrote:

    It’s true that some of the books are not beautiful only inside but also outside and they need to be displayed in a proper way. I’m fascinated by people’s libraries. This book seems to be a must read.

    Published 5.24.20 · Reply