The Architecture of the English Domestic Library, 1600–1700

Abstract

The seventeenth century saw the dramatic growth of book collections, as books became a desirable commodity. The ruling classes used books to strengthen their political, social and intellectual hegemony, and the reading and collection of books was perceived as indicative of a range of virtues. At the same time, English society was increasingly receptive to new architectural ideas from the continent, and building and furnishing houses was a popular way of expressing morality and magnificence. This article identifies the relationship between patterns of reading, and the arrangement and architectural setting of book collections. Private libraries were a relative innovation, and the variety of approaches to accommodating them within the home often reflects the personal implications was conducted in the same terms used to debate the worth of reading and knowledge, and architectural display was a useful means of advertising an educated persona. The use of architectural style is also examined, since different motifs and stylistic approaches were attributed with different meanings, which related to shared ideas about knowledge, and its place within society.keywords architecture, libraries, England, Baroque, domestic reading, books, bindings, bookshelvesWe should set aside a room, just for ourselves, at the back of the shop, keeping it entirely free and establishing there our true liberty, our principal solitude and asylum.(Montaigne, On Solitude) 1 I cannot comprehend the neglect of a family library in such days as these.(Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice) 2Accommodation and use of books within the domestic space Between 1580, when Montaigne proclaimed his need for a private study, and 1813, when Mr Darcy's library at Pemberley was held up as a model of the family book collection, the domestic library underwent a complete transformation. Libraries by 57 THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE ENGLISH DOMESTIC LIBRARY, 1600-1700the nineteenth century had become larger, more formal, and more sociable, both in terms of their collections and the spaces in which they were kept. Increasing familiarity with architectural practice and styles, discourses on reading and on building, and the example set by the new institutional libraries being built in the universities and the capital, encouraged the adoption of particular trends. Greater attention was paid to the quality of the furnishings. There was a growing appreciation of neatly arranged ranks of books along the walls. Classical ornamentation and design became prevalent. But the development of the architecture of the room that we would recognize in the terms 'gentleman's library' or 'country house library' was far from linear. In the seventeenth century, the private library or book-room was a new and mutable entity, without established models to emulate. Whilst trends can be identified, the impression of a general development is countered by a great range of approaches to book storage, and the individual needs, resources, and aspirations of the owner can be seen demonstrated in the arrangement,...