World Enough and Time

One of my favourite fictional ideas is the fantasy library. Literature is full of them, but not full enough. I have a list of favourites - I've probably put it here before: Lucien's library of books never written from The Sandman, the labyrinth-library in The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, the magical library of the University of Ankh-Morpork... Do you have any others to suggest?

Then there are the real libraries. There are websites devoted to them:

• 20 of the World's Most Beautiful Libraries
  
• The Most Amazing Libraries You May Want to Visit - a bit of a surprise to see our familiar Library of Parliament on that list.
  
• 8 Amazing Libraries (and One That’s Horrible) - this site if good because it shows them both inside and out
  
• Libraries in homes
  
• Most Interesting Libraries in the World
  
• World's Most Beautiful Libraries
  
• Beautiful LIbraries - a nice site that doesn't limit itself to any one type.

At some point the pictures tend to get repetative, but I'm always looking for more. It thrills me that I've been to a lot of these - and have been to other libraries fully worthy of inclusion.

Now I'm finding similar lists of amazing bookstores:

• The World's Most Amazing Bookstores
  
• Most Interesting Bookstores of the World
  

I'd like to see more photos of good bookstores, too. Seems to me the one in Carleton Place should be on the list.