Bookshelves reveal interesting things about the owners. Particularly in the themes and sensibilities suggested by reoccurring subjects and authors. Bevis Bawa’s bookshelves are no different.
There is a lot of pages behind the glass doors of wall size book cases. Brief’s creator was interested in words – seems he was a popular newspaper columnist in his day. Something often over shadowed by the reputation of his garden. It felt sad that Bawa’s failing eyesight during his last years denied him the pleasures of those pages.
During my second visit to Brief, I spent some time in the cool gloom of Bawa’s library looking at the titles behind the glass. Most of the books and authors I had never heard of. Old editions long out of print. Huxely being the most recognizable. Just before we left I jotted down a few titles that had caught my eye.
- The Philosophy Of The Bed, by Eden, Mary & Richard Carrington
- The Island of Sheep by John Buchan (quite a few books by John Buchan)
- The Slaves of Timbuktu by Robin Maugham quite hard to get any decent info on this book besides the fact that a lot antique book dealers are willing to sell you a copy.
- Going To Meet The Man by James Baldwin
- Eyeless in Gaza by Aldous Huxley
Granted, the list is short but the topics point in some interesting interests 😉
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