The Architecture of BibliophiliaEighteenth-Century Ottoman Libraries

Provides a rich account of the social, intellectual and architectural worlds of Istanbul’s library patrons and readers

• First book-length study of the Ottoman library movement
• Anchors the scholarship on Ottoman cultural and intellectual history in architecture
• Establishes patterns of cross-references in architecture and decoration
• Discusses the trans-imperial connections of the Ottoman library movement

Libraries were a new building type in Ottoman architecture at the beginning of the eighteenth century. However, they quickly gained a considerable place among the endowments of Ottoman elite. This book explores the architectural, social and cultural dynamics that shaped the Ottoman library movement in Istanbul during the eighteenth century. It shows how the plans, decorative elements, book collections, staff and patrons of these libraries embodied the remarkable transformations of Ottoman society – notably the swelling of bureaucratic ranks, rising demand for historical and literary works, and a culture of celebrating novelty.
The book uses public libraries as a lens to examine these transformations, demonstrating how libraries both reflected and shaped the aesthetic, intellectual and cultural pursuits of the Ottoman reading public. Offering the first comprehensive history of the Ottoman library movement, it reveals the dynamism of Ottoman architecture in this post-classical period.