Nearly every book lover fantasizes about having a library in their home that is worthy of the ultimate bibliophile accoutrement: a library ladder. This architectural accessory—particularly one that rolls on rails—is not just a practical tool for accessing high shelves, it enhances the classic, scholarly ambiance of the room.
"There is—and has long been—a physical appeal to being blanketed by books," says Evan Friss, author of The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore. "The ladder is a symbol of the scale of the collection, which can be awe-inspiring—both just to look at aesthetically and to consider how much knowledge is held in those books (some, hopefully, imparted onto the reader)."
From Slate:
According to America's oldest rolling-ladder maker, the century-old Putnam Rolling Ladders, whose customers have included George W. Bush, credit for the first dedicated book ladder goes to a French furniture designer named Étienne Avril. In the mid-18th century, Avril created a ladder that rested on two rails attached to the bookcase and could be moved along the shelves as needed[…]
For now, unfortunately, most of us are limited to books on shelves that we can too easily reach. So if you've neither the space nor budget to bring a book ladder into your life, there is one other way to magnificently demonstrate the breadth of your supposed reading: the book wheel. Designed by Agostino Ramelli in the 16th century, the giant vertical wheel lets one have multiple books open at a time and read each of them in one spot with ease.
Previously:
• Vintage photo of a library shelf catastrophe
• How hundred year old books are restored
• Mars rover photographed a book on the surface of the Red Planet!
