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It is a dream of many authors and readers alike to own a vast library filled with beautiful books. There is something endlessly enticing about a space that holds so many stories in one place.
Some of the greatest female writers of the 19th and 20th Centuries owned or at least had access to beautiful libraries. These women were often avid readers, collecting books alongside producing their own ground-breaking literary works.
Today, the libraries once owned by such famous figures provide significant clues about their literary tastes. This article discusses just a few of these brilliant women and their libraries as well as suggesting a section of their works with which to create your own home library.
Alcott’s Orchard House in Massachusetts is where she penned her most famous novel, Little Women. The house contained a library, though it wasn’t large, and included books such as Goethe, the works of Shakespeare, Carlyle and Emerson. Emerson was a close family friend and Alcott grew up visiting his wonderful library.
This beautifully designed book would be a delightful addition to any home library. Alcott’s charming tale of the four March sisters and their passage from childhood to womanhood, bound in a green-brown cover with gold lettering, displays delightful vintage opulence. Little Women is such a classic tale and no home library is complete without it.
This rare edition of Alcott’s Good Wives is equally enchanting. With its bright red cover printed and floral embellishment, it is beautifully unique. The story is a sequel to Little Women, joining the March sisters several years after the first story ended. You can’t have Little Women on your home library bookshelf without having this enchanting volume too.
Jane Austen read voraciously and widely throughout her lifetime. Although she kept some books at Chawton House where she lived, there weren’t many as books were often expensive. She did however have access to a large collection at Godersham Park, the home of her brother Edward Austen Knight. Her letters, novels and other writings have however provided clues to the vast range of books she read which have been turned into an extensive list by scholars. Today, Chawton House holds a collection of her works alongside those penned by other female writers.
This 1992 edition of Pride and Prejudice is the perfect type of book to have in a home library. Still in good condition, the blue cover and gold marked spine are instantly eye-catching. Austen’s regency romance, telling the tale of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, is her best known novel and still consumed by hundreds of readers today.
If you’re looking for a more modern touch on your bookshelf, this edition of Sense and Sensibility is a great choice. Published in 2011, it’s vivid green cover and gold design is instantly eye-catching. The novel follows the Dashwood sisters, most notably Elinor and Marianne, as they navigate a tricky world of responsibility and heartbreak. It is a brilliant classic and should certainly have a place in every home library.
The Honresfield Library of British Literature, first put together by Arthur Bell Nicholls (widower of Charlotte Brontë), contains more than 500 manuscripts, letters and first editions of many books, including those by the Brontë family. This extensive library is contained within the Brontë Parsonage where the family lived.
This classic story follows Jane Eyre, a young, orphaned child who grows up to become a governess at the large estate of Edward Rochester. The tale is a dark and brooding one, as reflected by the cover of this 2008 edition designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith. The design is wonderfully decorative and evocative, inviting the reader into this tale of cruelty and passion.
This stunning green and gold edition of Shirley would be a handsome addition to any bookshelf. Though less famous than Jane Eyre, this book should not be overlooked. It is a tale of two women living in starkly different circumstances, the poor Caroline and the wealthy Shirley. The classic decoration on the cover of this volume, also used to design several other Brontë novels, is well-suited to a vintage style home library.
The Mitford’s first significant family house was Asthall Manor in the Cotswolds. The library there was converted from an old tithe barn and filled with many books. Nancy, the eldest of the sisters, spent hours reading in the Batsford Library which was sold in later years along with much if the library’s contents. She had her own library too however, which included books with persona inscriptions from friends such as Evelyn Waugh.
The Sun King is a brilliant historical biography. It offers an insight into the splendour of France during the Golden Age through an aristocratic lens. The book is filled with 32 colour illustrations which bring the writing to life on a whole new level. This volume is a lovely vintage edition and with its red cover and gold sun print certainly deserves its place on the shelf.
Mitford’s famous book, The Pursuit of Love, tells the story of love-obsessed Linda Radlett and her troublesome search for love. This volume is a true vintage gem, covered with a blue dustjacket and printed with a circle of astrological signs. While not as decorative as some of the other volumes on this list, as one of Mitford’s most famous novels it belongs in your home library.
Monk’s House, where Virginia and Leonard Woolf lived for many years, was only minimally furnished with books. Woolf’s father however owned a vast collection of books, establishing The London Reading Room in 1896. This room, used by many famous writers, was immortalized by Woolf’s publication of A Room of One’s Own. Woolf read many books in her fathers collection and later inherited it from him.
Woolf’s love of reading is evident through her linking of the Reading Room with the title and subject matter of her novel. Her central character spends a day researching at the Reading Room, frustrated by the lack of women’s literature. The book contains Woolf’s famous argument that ‘A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction’. A home library, particularly a woman’s home library, could not be complete without this brightly decorative volume.
Though not embossed with gold, the brightly coloured cover of this book is immediately striking. The patterns and colours would look great on a home library shelf. Mrs. Dalloway follows the life of Clarissa Dalloway, an upper-class London woman. The novel is a ground-breaking classic still read and studied by many people today.
Creating a stunning library naturally requires an excellent selection of books. If you would like to choose a selection of beautifully decorated books to start your own library, inspired by the libraries owned and frequented by these literary females, then a selection of their transformative works as laid out in the list above is a great place to start.
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