The Friends of the Library are always amazed by the love for books that runs through this city. Persons and families reading and collecting books and passing them down for others to experience. Books have tremendous value by themselves, but that value grows even more when they are shared. The library receives about 85% of our books through generous donations. This happens when the books no longer have a home: when someone is moving out, running out of bookshelf space, or when someone has died.
About six weeks ago, the Friends were greeted at the bookstore with a large collection of 400-500 music books. Some of these books—for example, 15 volumes of La Gran Musica, music history in Spanish—educate about the history of music from different parts of the world. Others are instructional such as dictionaries and music theory books. For example, the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie, The Musicians Guide to Home Recording, and Scales Over Chords, to name a few. There are also some books that focus on guitar instruction for a variety of genres like Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Flamingo Guitar, and Classic Guitar. Books like Modern Russian Songs for Low Voice highlight on vocal training.
Interestingly, about two-three weeks after the music books arrived, we received 200-300 architecture books and about 200 art books. The architecture books in the collection are not only studies of various kinds of architecture but also look at architecture from different eras or cultures. For instance, Super Dutch: New Architecture in the Netherlands and Japan Style highlight the intersection between culture and architecture in these countries. Some other books—like Creating A New Old House: Yesterday's Character for Today's Home—look at practical and DIY solutions for revamping your house. One of the most impressive books in the collection is Atlas Minor, an atlas that seeks to educate what the world looked like in 1605 with clear and well-illustrated maps. The art collection, on the other hand, has books focusing a certain artist’s work or a particular genre or theme. These include Mother & Child in Art, Cezanne in Provence, books highlighting Picasso’s work, and more.
These books can be very educational and informative, helping learners understand the roots of what makes different styles of music, art, and architecture possible. More importantly, they show readers how to include these skills and talents in their own lives. The books’ aesthetic appeal also allows them to function as good coffee table books or gifts for someone interested or close to the fields of music, art, and architecture. The Friends of the Library are putting together a sale for these books with reasonable and affordable prices from November 1-8, 2019, at the library. Come have a look and see how you can incorporate more art in your life and home.