Amazing Private Libraries

The Home Library

It's tough to put your finger on exactly why a home library has such a positive effect on someone. I speak from personal experience. I'm fortunate to have a personal library of about 4 000 books. I don't necessarily feel smarter when I'm around the books for I've only read a fraction of them. I don't feel more worldly of more loved. What is it that I feel? Just better.

Books have a mysterious way of getting into you. Perhaps it's like a friend that is eager to bring to his favorite restaurant or bookshop; books are always bringing you strange, beautiful, scary and wondrous new places. I love my books and I thought it would be fun to show you a couple other interesting personal libraries. Enjoy.

Example of a stunning home library

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Jay Walker

Like any substantial private library, Jay Walker's houses some of the finest books on the planet. But how many libraries, public or private include a real Sputnik spacecraft and a velociraptor skeleton in their holdings?

Jay Walker's Library is by far the most exceptional that I have ever heard of and I agree with Mr. Walker that a library should be a repository for all sorts of information, not just books and magazines. The whole point of a library is to teach and how can you teach when the imagination isn't fired up? If your senses aren't fired up after a visit (even a virtual one) to the Library of Imagination then you might want to consider a medication of some sort.

Here is a rundown of some of the incredible items on display in the library.

Instruction manual for a Saturn 5 rocket
Nazi Enigma coding machine
1535 Coverdale Bible
a napkin from 1943 on which Franklin D. Roosevelt outlined his plan to win WWII

Globe of the moon signed by 9 of 12 men that set foot on it
Hand painted celestial atlas dated 1660
1493 Nuremberg Chronicle
Apple II motherboard signed by Woz

This is could go on and on, instead I'll add a couple of photos lower down. One thing that actually inspired me about his collection is that he does not feel any need to go after First Editions the way that modern collectors do, in fact many of his leather-bound books are standard Franklin Press releases. He feels they have no tangible importance. I was starting to collect these myself but now focus only on items and books that really interest me.
Although this is a private library Mr. Walker often invites schoolchildren and other guests to come enjoy the experience. In case your wondering where all the money comes from, Mr. Walker is a very savvy and successful Internet Entrepreneur with Priceline.com being his most recognized venture.

Incredible Home Library

Library of Imagination

Osho Library

Osho in the simplest terms was a Guru, a teacher. Born Chandra Mohan Jain (1931 - 1990). Not many people can lay claim to influencing Western Thought, he was one. Notable for his views on meditation, love, happiness and humour he was an avid reader and collector from a very young age. He stated that he owned approximately 150 000 books and had read them all.

His collection is mainly confined to the humanities (philosophy religion etc.) but is still vast. The collection now resides at the Osho Meditation resort in India.