Free Range Librarian

K.G. Schneider’s blog on librarianship, writing, and everything else, since 2003.

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LibraryThing’s “I See Dead People['s Books]“

January 15, 2008 at 7:25 pm by K.G. Schneider · 12 Comments ·

I know it’s considered lame to write a hey-gee-look-at-the-pretty-linkies post, but first of all, link posts make a great amusee bouche between those huge ketchup-sauced meatloafs I dole out once or twice a week, and second, I’m tuckered from a whirlwind conference at ALA, backlogged on homework due Thursday, and about to go to an 8 p.m. hair appointment that I would cancel if I wasn’t feeling oh so Phyllis Diller.

Besides, I can’t sit on this discovery: LibraryThing members have been cataloging the libraries of Great People, which is too cool for school. Ernest Hemingway and I have two books in common (both by notorious drunks):

There is one interesting omission… the list of prospective authors is all female male. Do we know the library of Eleanor Roosevelt, or Gertrude Stein?
Incidentally, though earlier I fumed about ungrateful LibraryThing Early Reviewers who don’t review their books, I sat on The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy. I had a perplexed response to it, and frankly wanted to see what other reviewers had to say. Janet Maslin started to get there (and no, I don’t have any issue with the author rounding off the corners here and there). I’ll try to write my review this week.

Posted on this day, other years:

Tags: Reading · Writing

12 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Tim // Jan 16, 2008 at 4:51 am

    Interesting question—what women’s libraries do we know? And it raises the question, why are we calling it “John Adam’s Library”? (I’ll ask the BPL, since they’re in charge of it, and may be lending us their MARC records directly.)

    Some ideas: Madame de Stael would be good—she was the original social network. I’m betting someone has Emma Goldman’s books.

    Oh, every time a new library is finished, I’m adding it to your personal “statistics” page. Right now, it’s Jefferson, Tupac Shaur and Mozart. Jefferson and Mozart share Ovid, which fits, I think.

  • 2 JBD // Jan 16, 2008 at 6:26 am

    Karen - it’s a good point. I know I and others would greatly enjoy being able to add other libraries, of course including those of women - the key is having an accessible catalogue of their collection, which for the vast majority of personal libraries just isn’t available. We are certainly always open to any suggestions.

    Tim - I think it’s technically “The John Adams Library” - my second choice would be “John Adams’ Library” since I think Adams’s looks silly. But certainly not “John Adam’s.”

    - Jeremy

  • 3 David // Jan 16, 2008 at 10:27 am

    Unfortunately (from a grammatical point of view), since there was only one John Adams, then it must be “John Adams’s library”.

    Of course, my favourite edition of the Chicago Manual formally advises one to rewrite such an offending phrase to “sidestep difficulties, rather than face them head on.”

  • 4 K.G. Schneider // Jan 16, 2008 at 10:50 am

    I’ll go for Adams’ library, even though it’s not Chicago-correct. :-)

  • 5 JBD // Jan 16, 2008 at 11:31 am

    Here’s the first one someone’s found: Marie Antoinette!
    http://books.google.com/books?id=WYINAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=subject:%22Private+libraries%22&lr=&as_brr=1

  • 6 Bess Reynolds // Jan 16, 2008 at 2:05 pm

    A catalog of Edith Wharton’s library has been published. I first saw a copy of the book at The Mount. Fortunately much of her library was purchased back from the rare book dealer who created a catalog. He bought it from Colin Clark, her godson.
    Used copies are available
    Edith Wharton’s Library: a Catalogue by Ramsden, G.
    Stone Trough Books, Settrington, first edition. (1999) 9780952953456.

    Some enterprising soul could add them!

  • 7 Bess Reynolds // Jan 16, 2008 at 2:07 pm

    A catalog of Edith Wharton’s library has been published. I first saw a copy of the book at The Mount. Fortunately much of her library was purchased back from the rare book dealer who created a catalog. He bought it after it was sold to another dealer by Colin Clark, her godson.
    Used copies are available
    Edith Wharton’s Library: a Catalogue by Ramsden, G.
    Stone Trough Books, Settrington, first edition. (1999) 9780952953456.

    Some enterprising soul could add them to LibraryThing!

  • 8 Tim // Jan 16, 2008 at 3:19 pm

    I started in on Marie Antoinette’s (http://www.librarything.com/profile/MarieAntoinette). I did the science!

  • 9 K.G. Schneider // Jan 16, 2008 at 3:26 pm

    Cool! That dictionary of passions, virtues, and vices could be good reading!

  • 10 David // Jan 16, 2008 at 5:16 pm

    Karen: A checklist, perhaps? ;-)

  • 11 K.G. Schneider // Jan 16, 2008 at 8:24 pm

    I was thinking Venn diagrams! ;-)

  • 12 JBD // Jan 17, 2008 at 8:13 am

    Karen, I’ve posted an update on the progress since your post - Marie Antoinette’s now underway, I started Isabella Stewart Gardner’s this morning, and a whole heap of other libraries have been found and are waiting for cataloguers. Keep the suggestions coming!

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