Summary

Chapter 18. Book titles at the beginning of this chapter: Fishbourne: A Roman Palace and its Garden; Occult Theocracy; Lucy Gayheart; and Laika the Space Dog: First Hero in Outer Space.

In this chapter, Orlean summarizes the history of the Central Library from the early 1920’s to the mid-1950’s. She begins with the immediate aftermath of the death of architect Bertram Goodhue, and includes a detailed description of the building he designed (including statuary and gardens). She also describes how “the shelves in the concrete stacks [at the center of the building] were made of steel grating that was touted as fire- and earthquake-resistant” (190). She adds that “Goodhue wanted visitors … to feel they were part of a three-dimensional meditation on the power of human intellect and the potency of storytelling” (190). Construction and decoration of the building was completed by the late 1920’s, at...