Library Studies

I've just finished looking at a book called The Library of Benjamin Franklin by Wolf and Hayes. I'll admit this may sound a bit dry, and I was the first one to check it out from the OU Library. However, the book is a ridiculously well researched reconstruction of Ben Franklin's extensive personal library. The introduction is a quick and interesting look at how Franklin amassed such a huge library and how it was dispersed after his death. While useful in my upcoming work on Richard Kirwan's library, the book is interesting in its own right at looking at how Americans read at the end of the 18th century, how libraries developed in America, and the biblomania of the nation's founding fathers (Jefferson was apparently one of the few Americans of the time with a larger library than Franklin's). The book is also extremely well produced and seems to have been targeted at bibliophiles with its colophon and well crafted text and binding. Check it out if you get a chance.