The Library

The library should have the same spirit of repose as the living room, but at the same time should be furnished in a manner to give greater dignity and solidity. The interest in the room should center entirely about the books, for which the room exists. Unless there are many books it is ridiculous to name the room in which they are placed a library. If there is only one small case of volumes, it might better find its home in the living room. So, too, a library the walls of which are lined with many books behind locked doors is wrongly named. It is an affectation hardly better than the rooms of certain people of past times who filled their shelves with beautifully bound dummies. Indeed it is questionable if the glass-inclosed bookcases, even though the key be permanently lost, can ever equal the open bookcase in the spirit of ready companionship. The literary friends seem slightly removed and the slight effort of opening a door to reach them seems to place them apart to a certain extent. The glass-inclosed bookcase is, of course, much more sanitary, and the life of precious volumes is lengthened by the absence of the daily grind of dust, so there is a conflict between the practical and the aesthetic in the minds of the householder who would have the best kind of a library in his home.

Bookcases

Bookcases which are built into the walls as a part of the house are of course always best. They should be of the same finish as the woodwork and take their part as a feature of the architectural construction. In many homes, however, a room is taken for library use which had been originally intended for some other purpose. It is then that bookcases as pieces of furniture must be used. There are many cases on the market both with and without doors which are built on lines of antique and modern designs. Perhaps the most satisfactory shelves, however, are given by the sectional bookcases, of which there is now a great variety. They are manufactured after designs conforming to every style of period furniture and in all possible woods and finishes. Although the sections fitted together take up slightly more room than the single bookcases, there is the advantage that additional sections may be added from time to time as books accumulate. The architectural structure of the room may also be followed easily and sections may successfully be fitted underneath windows and in odd places where large cases could not be placed. Where cases of either kind are used in the library, they should, as pieces of furniture, be matched by the rest of the furniture in the room in wood, finish, and style.

Furniture Suitable For The Library

Only the most dignified styles of furniture should be used in the library; furniture having rather strong and heavy lines. Sheraton and Hepplewhite pieces, for example, are too dainty, as is also furniture of the Louis XVI period. The designs of the time of Louis XV are also unsuitable because of ornate decorations, but some of the heavier furniture of Louis XIV has been successfully used for this purpose. Chippendale, Queen Anne, William and Mary, Jacobean, and some of the Adam styles are all very well adapted for library use, and designs following the spirit of the early Italian and Spanish models are admirable. Colonial furniture is always correct, as indeed it is for almost any room in the house, because of its many variations in shape and style.