Umberto Eco

I don't suppose we have much of a chance of getting our hands on Eco's library, but here's a video of Eco walking through his library. Gorgeous.

https://www.facebook.com/Lettera43/videos/1063348240396492/

Man already lived in heaven!

And he had a whole another house filled with books too.

Just 20,000—"for emergencies." :)

I know how he felt. :)

If I had 50,000 books split between two homes, the book I wanted would always be in the other place.

I think it's 50k in one place, 20k in the other. Same problem, though.

FWIW, I sort of did the "second library" when my family moved to Turkey. I brought a small, working library—mostly history, art and archaeology to do with Turkey, but including some general reference too. It was weirdly satisfying to assemble it.

Oh my! Be still my heart.

I mean there's no way there *won't* be a catalog of Eco's library at some point, right? I know the universe is unjust but it can't be THAT bad.

>8 amandafrench: Ugh, one hopes that's true, but I've seen waaaaay too many cases of libraries disappearing into the ether to trust it ...

I'd be curious to know what Eco uses currently to catalogue. Card files? Digital? Personal cipher?

The problem with big or specialty libraries is literally, institutions don't want them, even from famous people. They take an immense about of space to store, not to mention the sheer cost of the time and personnel it takes to catalog them.

I talked to Margot Adler about my puzzlement about what to do with my husband's library and she told me that she still had her grandfather, Alfred Adler's library, because she couldn't find anyone who would take it. (No, I don't know if it was ever cataloged, and since Margot has passed away herself, it's probably a lost opportunity.)

Eco likely just kept it mostly in his head ...

>12 benjclark: I think that's right. I read an interview of his lately in which he said he stopped his secretary making a catalogue. It forced him to remember and rediscover his collection:

When my secretary wanted to catalogue them, I asked her not to. My interests change constantly, and so does my library ... Besides, even without a catalogue, I'm forced to remember my books. I have a hallway for literature that's 70 meters long. I walk through it several times a day, and I feel good when I do.

Interview link.

A great quote. It does feel good to encounter one's books, even when not actually reading them.

>13 BuiltByBooks: I have a hallway for literature that's 70 meters long. I walk through it several times a day, and I feel good when I do.

I totally get that.

70 meters? Just the hallway? That's crazy! I don't believe it. How big is this house, anyway?

The video looks like it, no?

Maybe it's a long AND winding hallway.

I hope his library remains in place and that his ghost continues to walk up and down its 70m hallway and feel good when it does.

In the best of all possible worlds, his home becomes a public library and memorial where his voice can be heard reading out the titles of his collection in dolce rumbly Italian.

>17 timspalding:, >18 LolaWalser:

Judging from the video, the hallway does wind and there are lots of shelves in a large room. I'm thinking "70 meters of bookshelves", which is still crazy, but less so. I was envisioning 70 meters of straight hallway.

>20 lilithcat:

I'm not sure any house in Italy has a 70-meter straight shot. :)

>21 timspalding:

Well, there is the Vasari Corridor.

>22 lilithcat:

But that connects two palaces and is outside. Can we count it? Even inside the Uffizi Gallery, the long hall really isn't inside a "house."

70 meters of shelving maybe?

I didn’t see if anyone had posted this. It contains a link to browse Eco’s books i.e. books he has written.
https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/lunatic-science-umberto-ecos-library?fbclid=IwA...

>25 varielle: - I think the link is just to available books by Eco for sale by that site, no? (Unless I missed another link!)

>25 varielle:

It contains a link to browse Eco’s books

An infinitesimal number! Only 78 out of thousands.

>26 JBD1: I’ll go back to clarify.

Umberto Eco had a great answer to that question the non-book people ask when they see your collection — "Have you read all of these books?"

His reply: "Some of them twice."

James