When I was younger, I spent many hours at my local bookstore. Every week, my grandparents would give me a small amount of money to buy some snacks at my school. Instead, I would grab some bread from my lunch and save that money. Then, between classes, I’d run to the local bookstore, which was just around the corner, and pick a book. That moment was almost sacred: picking a book, looking at its cover, trying to imagine what kind of worlds existed in those pages. The bookstore was small and didn’t have many books, but for me it was one of the best and biggest places in town. It wasn’t the only one, though; I remember a few others, but eventually all of them closed while I was growing up. My local bookstore still exists, although its owners struggle in order to keep it open.
I deeply love bookstores and books, so when I discovered this book, I immediately decided to read it. Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany is a beautiful book filled with wonderful illustrations and great book recommendations. This hardcover edition is lovely.
If you also love books and bookstores, you will enjoy flipping through its 224 pages and recognizing some of your favorite stories and maybe finding a few new ones. You will also find some beautiful bookstores around the world. I found some books that were really special for me and that I discovered at my local bookstore: His Dark Materials, Earthsea. At the time, we did not have internet-ish things as blogs, reviews or youtube videos. We could only rely in our guessing powers and other people’s recommendations. It could be a tricky thing, but it was also a very unique feeling when you’d find a special book - paging through Bibliophile was like looking through at my local bookstore and remembering those old days. I also loved finding a reference to a Portuguese bookstore:
Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany celebrates books, writers, bookstores, libraries and many other aspects that almost every person who loves to read will enjoy. It is a perfect book to read slowly and find some nice recommendations.
Jane Mount’s illustrations of book covers, authors and even cats are so lovely that you’ll find yourself in a imaginary and giant bookstore. She will guide your through many wonderful shelves and will introduce you to new and old things. It is a perfect choice for everyone who loves not only beautiful illustrations, but also great content.
This is a wonderful pick to everyone who enjoys books and reading because it covers many book genres, different bookstores and many other elements that people who love to read usually enjoy. It was one of my favorite books from 2018, and one which I’ll probably be re-reading often.