{"id":45526,"date":"2013-01-28T16:00:35","date_gmt":"2013-01-28T21:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/?p=45526"},"modified":"2013-01-29T02:42:29","modified_gmt":"2013-01-29T07:42:29","slug":"when-you-need-ten-feet-of-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/28\/when-you-need-ten-feet-of-books\/","title":{"rendered":"When You Need Ten Feet of Books…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I once knew a man who bought antique books by the foot to fill the majestic library of a new house. He was completely unembarrassed by this fact, which is, I guess, the only way to be, and there was something very eighteenth century about the whole thing. (On close inspection, a lot of them proved to be bound sermons, in many volumes.) The idea of insufficient books to fill shelves is a novel idea to most apartment dwellers, certainly in New York. I was, therefore, fascinated to read about the Strand Bookstore\u2019s Books by the Foot<\/a> program, in which the New York institution furnishes volumes for films, magazine shoots, private buyers, and, presumably, decorators. <\/p>\n

Says Time Out New York<\/em><\/a>,<\/p>\n

\n

Clients come to head designer Jenny McKibben, who previously worked in the store\u2019s rare-books department, with requests as vague as \u201cgolf books,\u201d or as specific as \u201cleather-bound, six-inch-tall, red psychology books from the 1930s.\u201d It\u2019s up to the team at the Strand to hunt down tomes that fit the theme. Television shows and films tend to rent books from the program for use in set designs, including characters\u2019 offices and apartments. Once a show is finished with the props, they\u2019re returned to the store\u2019s stacks.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n

The twenty-year-old program has also outfitted scores of films, from The Royal Tenenbaums<\/em> to The Departed<\/em>, and in each case McKibben suits the titles to a character\u2019s individual needs, pulling books from all over the store. Presumably equal attention and care is given to the needs of private buyers, and looked at this way, it\u2019s actually an interesting way to acquire a curated library of potential great reading, or research. If, however, you have simple needs you want lavishly met, perhaps DecorativeLeatherBooks.com<\/a> is more the ticket. That said, nota bene: \u201cThey are perfect for decorative and display purposes, and are not in English.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I once knew a man who bought antique books by the foot to fill the majestic library of a new house. He was completely unembarrassed by this fact, which is, I guess, the only way to be, and there was something very eighteenth century about the whole thing. 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