Comments on: Spectacular bookshelves at Uni of Buenos Aires med school http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Sat, 25 May 2013 18:43:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Ito Kagehisa http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019137 Ito Kagehisa Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019137 You are very welcome. You are right, termites are very sensitive to light. If you can get metal, glass, or thick plastic boxes for your books, that will keep termites out. Good luck! You are very welcome. You are right, termites are very sensitive to light.

If you can get metal, glass, or thick plastic boxes for your books, that will keep termites out.

Good luck!

]]> By: chgoliz http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019145 chgoliz Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019145 Looks a lot like one side of my dad's library. For those who can't get enough of this sort of porn: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Most-Beautiful-Libraries-World/dp/0810946343/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297017489&sr=8-1">The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World.</a> Looks a lot like one side of my dad’s library.

For those who can’t get enough of this sort of porn: The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World.

]]> By: Donald Petersen http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019927 Donald Petersen Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019927 <blockquote>aren't those just books on shelves?</blockquote> Maybe once upon a time, but a lovely collection like that gets rarer every day. Can't find a link to a picture right now, but imagine your local Dodge/Plymouth dealership a bit over 40 years ago. Just a bunch of shiny new cars for sale, right? But that same collection now, lovingly preserved, would be worth a mint. The Chargers and Roadrunners alone command the mid to high five figures. The Daytonas and Superbirds get twice that. And that Barracuda over there? The convertible one with the Hemi? Valued at close to two million today. Yep, seven figures for a stock 41-year-old Plymouth that originally sold for around five grand. One that's rare today because nobody really liked it then enough to buy it. As nice things begin to vanish, suddenly they seem to get lots more valuable. And a collection of things of beauty is a collection of joys forever. Or something like that.

aren’t those just books on shelves?

Maybe once upon a time, but a lovely collection like that gets rarer every day.

Can’t find a link to a picture right now, but imagine your local Dodge/Plymouth dealership a bit over 40 years ago. Just a bunch of shiny new cars for sale, right? But that same collection now, lovingly preserved, would be worth a mint. The Chargers and Roadrunners alone command the mid to high five figures. The Daytonas and Superbirds get twice that. And that Barracuda over there? The convertible one with the Hemi? Valued at close to two million today. Yep, seven figures for a stock 41-year-old Plymouth that originally sold for around five grand. One that’s rare today because nobody really liked it then enough to buy it.

As nice things begin to vanish, suddenly they seem to get lots more valuable. And a collection of things of beauty is a collection of joys forever.

Or something like that.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019672 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019672 Last time I visited this university, this section was cut off and you needed a request by the librarian to get one of the books. "The universe (which others call the Library) is composed of an indefinite and perhaps infinite number of hexagonal galleries..." I fucking love you. Last time I visited this university, this section was cut off and you needed a request by the librarian to get one of the books.

“The universe (which others call the Library) is composed of an indefinite and perhaps infinite number of hexagonal galleries…”

I fucking love you.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019435 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019435 Just looking at this makes me want to sneeze (dust allergy). Just looking at this makes me want to sneeze (dust allergy).

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019445 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019445 "Bookshelf porn" - What an expression. It seems to be a language meme these days. Very hip. I'm sure Borges couldn't have said it better.. “Bookshelf porn” – What an expression. It seems to be a language meme these days. Very hip. I’m sure Borges couldn’t have said it better..

]]> By: jcc http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019230 jcc Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019230 The universe (which others call the Library) is composed of an indefinite and perhaps infinite number of hexagonal galleries... The universe (which others call the Library) is composed of an indefinite and perhaps infinite number of hexagonal galleries…

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019255 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019255 Why do we have to sacrifice so much these days. As a software engineer my bookshelves look like crap. Why can't oreilly, for example, make spines that actually look good, and not be something that makes me want to put covers on my bookshelves. Why do we have to sacrifice so much these days. As a software engineer my bookshelves look like crap. Why can’t oreilly, for example, make spines that actually look good, and not be something that makes me want to put covers on my bookshelves.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019774 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019774 Maybe I'm missing something, but aren't those just books on shelves? Anyway, here's more: http://www.flickr.com/photos/specialkrb/3346210999/in/photostream/ Maybe I’m missing something, but aren’t those just books on shelves?

Anyway, here’s more:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/specialkrb/3346210999/in/photostream/

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019526 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019526 Well thermite certainly could do a job on books and should also be kept away from them.... Well thermite certainly could do a job on books and should also be kept away from them….

]]> By: costeau http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019529 costeau Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019529 For more spectacular bookshelf experiences, I'd recommend visiting Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. The admission lets you see the Book of Kells and a few other related books of historical value, and the entire thing culminates in a walk through the massive college library, where the upper shelves are on a mezzanine above the main library floor, with full view down to the floor. For more spectacular bookshelf experiences, I’d recommend visiting Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. The admission lets you see the Book of Kells and a few other related books of historical value, and the entire thing culminates in a walk through the massive college library, where the upper shelves are on a mezzanine above the main library floor, with full view down to the floor.

]]> By: Martha Bridegam http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019276 Martha Bridegam Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019276 With the doubling-up of households, the aging-out of boomers, and the rage for digital text, we're in a period when people are getting rid of books. It's like the period when people were getting rid of LPs. As with LPs, books are on their way to being valued as cult/otaku or luxury items, for providing a richer experience than the more ordinary stripped-down electronic version can provide. With the doubling-up of households, the aging-out of boomers, and the rage for digital text, we’re in a period when people are getting rid of books. It’s like the period when people were getting rid of LPs. As with LPs, books are on their way to being valued as cult/otaku or luxury items, for providing a richer experience than the more ordinary stripped-down electronic version can provide.

]]> By: Nawel http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019288 Nawel Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019288 OK, but want I really want to see is: Where they keep their copy of the Necronomicon?!?!? OK, but want I really want to see is:
Where they keep their copy of the Necronomicon?!?!?

]]> By: mcarrick http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019043 mcarrick Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019043 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 . . . shelf read !!! 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 . . . shelf read !!!

]]> By: Seraphim_72 http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019299 Seraphim_72 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019299 In a bucket of blood in a dark room all to its own. The bucket must be refilled from time to time based on its unearthly schedule. It is silent except at night when something thrashes in the bucket and it gnaws and gnaws at it while it mews in the night. In a bucket of blood in a dark room all to its own. The bucket must be refilled from time to time based on its unearthly schedule. It is silent except at night when something thrashes in the bucket and it gnaws and gnaws at it while it mews in the night.

]]> By: Ralph Giles http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019321 Ralph Giles Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019321 The usual answer is because no one's willing to pay for nice things. Current binding technology is the result of a long evolution of techniques both cheaper and more amenable to mass production. This has been a wonderful thing for mass literacy and the democratization of information, but it also means books rarely look like this any more, much less like the unique objects of custom craft they were hundreds of years ago. You could certainly find a book artist in any major city who could rebind the contents of your bookshelf so it looks more like the the contents of this picture. Or better yet, to do a fresh print and bind from (for example) O'Reilly's excellent DRM-free PDF ebooks so you get the full benefits of the older structures...for a few hundred dollars per volume. Part of the problem is that traditional western book binding is an artisanal hand craft mostly practised in affluent countries. If there was more demand, one could of course train people somewhere with a lower cost of living. Like Martha, I'm hopeful that the influence of ebooks will make this sort of high-quality or bespoke binding more popular in the future. The usual answer is because no one’s willing to pay for nice things. Current binding technology is the result of a long evolution of techniques both cheaper and more amenable to mass production. This has been a wonderful thing for mass literacy and the democratization of information, but it also means books rarely look like this any more, much less like the unique objects of custom craft they were hundreds of years ago.

You could certainly find a book artist in any major city who could rebind the contents of your bookshelf so it looks more like the the contents of this picture. Or better yet, to do a fresh print and bind from (for example) O’Reilly’s excellent DRM-free PDF ebooks so you get the full benefits of the older structures…for a few hundred dollars per volume.

Part of the problem is that traditional western book binding is an artisanal hand craft mostly practised in affluent countries. If there was more demand, one could of course train people somewhere with a lower cost of living. Like Martha, I’m hopeful that the influence of ebooks will make this sort of high-quality or bespoke binding more popular in the future.

]]> By: chgoliz http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019583 chgoliz Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019583 Don't forget the white marble busts on plinths at the head of every dark-stained stack. It's a strikingly beautiful library. Don’t forget the white marble busts on plinths at the head of every dark-stained stack. It’s a strikingly beautiful library.

]]> By: Capissen http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019350 Capissen Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019350 This is hot. Just made it my desktop background. This is hot. Just made it my desktop background.

]]> By: DrPretto http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019095 DrPretto Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019095 Interesting, almost all of those books are before 1960-70, as a physician I can tell you of those, only Anatomy books are still useful, because almost all the other Medical subjects have changed so much, that those are really obsolete now. But I can see this looks like a museum section of the library, there is a message in spanish "SE RUEGA NO TOCAR" which means "It's begged to not touch". Interesting, almost all of those books are before 1960-70, as a physician I can tell you of those, only Anatomy books are still useful, because almost all the other Medical subjects have changed so much, that those are really obsolete now.
But I can see this looks like a museum section of the library, there is a message in spanish “SE RUEGA NO TOCAR” which means “It’s begged to not touch”.

]]> By: DrPretto http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019104 DrPretto Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019104 I wish they could maintain thermites far from these books, recently I found thermites eating and perforating my books and magazines which I have as my treasures, now I am fighting the war with those insects. I wish they could maintain thermites far from these books, recently I found thermites eating and perforating my books and magazines which I have as my treasures, now I am fighting the war with those insects.

]]> By: Ito Kagehisa http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019112 Ito Kagehisa Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019112 I think you meant termites. Thermite is a highly exothermic mix of iron oxides and aluminium dust, which also should be kept well away from bookshelves. Termites require moist brood chambers. They will not infest dry materials without constructing tunnels leading to a moist nest, usually underground. If there is a masonry or metal barrier between the nest and what they are eating, they will build mud tubes across it. If you destroy the tubes they cannot get from the nest to the feed materials, because they do not travel in the open. Constant vigilance is required to prevent construction of new tubes. It is likely that your insects are not termites, though, unless you've had an insect expert identify them or keyed them down yourself. They are more likely to be some major book predator like silverfish or book beetles. You can kill them by wrapping your paperback books in several layers of plastic and freezing them for three weeks. You can't do this with leather or wood backed books because it damages the leather and wood glue permanently - talk to your local librarian for more information! I think you meant termites. Thermite is a highly exothermic mix of iron oxides and aluminium dust, which also should be kept well away from bookshelves.

Termites require moist brood chambers. They will not infest dry materials without constructing tunnels leading to a moist nest, usually underground. If there is a masonry or metal barrier between the nest and what they are eating, they will build mud tubes across it. If you destroy the tubes they cannot get from the nest to the feed materials, because they do not travel in the open. Constant vigilance is required to prevent construction of new tubes.

It is likely that your insects are not termites, though, unless you’ve had an insect expert identify them or keyed them down yourself. They are more likely to be some major book predator like silverfish or book beetles. You can kill them by wrapping your paperback books in several layers of plastic and freezing them for three weeks. You can’t do this with leather or wood backed books because it damages the leather and wood glue permanently – talk to your local librarian for more information!

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019370 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019370 Judging from the age of the bindings, they certainly aren't using those books to learn current medicine. Judging from the age of the bindings, they certainly aren’t using those books to learn current medicine.

]]> By: DrPretto http://boingboing.net/2011/02/06/spectacular-bookshel.html#comment-1019128 DrPretto Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1019128 Thanks Mr. Ito, yes my mistake, termites. We called those in spanish "comejen". I am not sure about the species, but they made a kind of sand tunnels in the floor and walls (occult from light). Here is a very similar example of what the have done to my books: http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ac5cxhVzVWE/TFEWIyhCOAI/AAAAAAAAAvM/uwQ7xWEczhQ/comejen%20libro_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800 By the way, thanks for the info. Thanks Mr. Ito, yes my mistake, termites.
We called those in spanish “comejen”. I am not sure about the species, but they made a kind of sand tunnels in the floor and walls (occult from light).
Here is a very similar example of what the have done to my books:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ac5cxhVzVWE/TFEWIyhCOAI/AAAAAAAAAvM/uwQ7xWEczhQ/comejen%20libro_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800

By the way, thanks for the info.

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