All the Knowledge in the World: Reflections on Eco’s Library

I was on a book tour in Italy recently. In an attempt to brush up my Italian beforehand, I watched, on youtube, interviews with Primo Levi, Italo Calvino, Stefano Benni, Orianna Fallaci, and Umberto Eco. Listening to Eco, I was reminded of his famous library, which contained 30,000 books. His home was described by Lila Azam Zanganeh in…

Bibliophile Heaven: locked in at Waterstones

Last week a story went viral about U.S. tourist David Willis. After browsing on one of the higher floors of Waterstones in Trafalgar Square, Europe’s biggest bookshop,  he came down and found the place deserted. He promptly realized he was locked in. He attempted to open the door, which set the alarm off. Then he…