Believe it or not there are still printed books nowadays (hence this one, that has just been published by one of the most loyal visitors to PDP, aka Petrea!). Almost all French books (14 million in total) are kept in La très grande bibliothèque (also called the BnF, for Bibliothèque nationale de France) that I photographed yesterday (there are actually 4 of these buildings in total). Every year 150 000 new ones add up to the pile because of a law that makes it compulsory to give a sample copy of anything that is published in France to this library. If you like to read in French, you can also browse through 1,8 million French publications of all sorts, directly on line and for free...
Looks like a fun place to get lost in. Thanks for the news about Petrea's book. My order is in.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photo! Thanks for posting it. I've never been there. I'm putting it on my list for my next trip :) definitely! Bonne journee.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I came here early today to get your link, because I'm writing about you! You are so generous, Eric, a perfect example of the post I'm writing now. I'll send it to you. It's called "Networking is Giving."
ReplyDeleteI think I visited this branch of the National Library when I was in Paris. We headed east from the city center on the Metro. This was the only library that had a particular Atget DVD for sale at the time.
http://www.atgetphotography.com/
Buy "Camelot & Vine." You won't be sorry. It's a fun book. My bar is pretty high. I enjoyed it. My mother enjoyed it, too.
ReplyDeleteOK, now I need to read it don't I?!
DeleteScooter5203249, obviously you are a scholar.
ReplyDeleteJeff, thank you. I'm just plain grateful for the good words.
What a beautiful shot Eric. And Petrea, I'm second in line to read Camelot & Vine (did I just write that?) ;-)
ReplyDeleteAs soon as Linda got on that plane I thought, "I should have sent one to Michael!" I'm glad Eric will let you borrow his, what a nice guy.
DeleteLOOOOOOOOOOL
DeleteNothing like an old fashioned book..........:)
ReplyDeleteThanks for fine image. Good to have the patience to wait for the clouds to arrange themselves just visually perfectly with that blue patch of sky! I love photographing buildings at interesting angles, and your shot is really good illustration of that, exploiting the mirrored glass. Keep looking up!
ReplyDeleteToo bad it is marred by the poles with surveillance cameras in the lower left hand corner. Yes, with Photoshop you could retouch them out, but oh, how much time and picky effort that would take! And probably not be perfect.
Stef, in Chicago, home of many Mies van der Rohe buildings as well as many other architecturally significant structures. Come and see for yourself!
I thought of erasing them to tell you the truth, but I was too tired and wanted to go to bed!
DeleteSo many books, so little time. . . I did take the time to read Petrea's book and I can also recommend it highly. Eric, am I wrong or were the four buildings of the BnF designed to look like two open books?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alexa. I know how it feels--I have a stack of books on my nightstand that grows rather than shrinks.
DeleteYou read it already?! Wow...
DeleteErrrr. You may be right about the open book shape, but I did not even know it! Shame on me...
Hey Stef! How are things in the Windy City? I walked around Chicago a little last year. He knows his landmark buildings, and there are many in that great city.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I didn't even notice the poles and cameras in the complex visual geometry of the building. Sort of like a book, you have to look between the lines to recognize them.