Being in “the rooms where it happened!”

This photo was taken at the Morgan Library in New York City. Amazing amount of books, right? I didn’t get a picture of J. P. Morgan’s office, but I did go into the room and imagined Belle da Costa Greene standing in front of his desk. It must have been daunting for her at first. If you haven’t already, read The Personal Librarian, written by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. The book is a fictionalized version of the real person J. P. Morgan tasked with adding to his incredible collection that we are priviledged to see today–Belle da Costa Greene

In 2025, the Morgan will have an exhibit devoted to Greene. At this time the library has a fascinating exhibit on Beatrice Potter, certainly one of my favorites.

On to the New York City Public Library, a special architectural icon and a tribute to days gone by. Pictured below is one of the lions! I just finished reading The Lions of 5th Avenue by Fiona Davis. Davis likes to write historical fiction based in New York City. She was inspired to write a story around the library when she learned that the first superintendent and his family actually lived in an apartment deep inside the building. Even though the exhibits and rooms in this massive marble structure were impressive, I wish we could have taken an ‘insider’s’ tour to see the trolleys and tubes that connect the books to the reader. And to look at Bryant Square and realize that underneath the garden, flowers and people having lunch lie two entire floors that house books in a climate controlled environment.