New York's Literary Jewel Box

New York's Literary Jewel Box

The New York Public Library's Schwarzman Building, sandwiched between the lions on 5th Avenue and Bryant Park, sits on a deep pit of knowledge. The stacks beneath the library hold three million volumes. Under a plan designed to push New York's last temple to the analogue into the present, these books could find themselves stored in New Jersey. The renovation, which would see the library circulating more books, has sparked a debate between those charged with charting the library's future and traditionalists eager to preserve an inspirational building.

The common ground in the debate is reverence for the library's lasting role in American letters. Huffington has compiled a sample of books for which the library has served as muse or research assistant.

To read more, download our new weekly iPad magazine, Huffington, in the iTunes App store. This story appears in the Literary Issue, available Friday, Sept. 21.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot