Thank you, *E*...I think I've died and gone to Heaven.
Those are my sort of libraries! Would also add the Morgan Library in Manhattan to that list:
Too hard to choose a favourite, but I was glad to see the British Library and Library of Congress included, as they have always been favourites of mine. I've even been up on that gallery in the dome at the British Library, and walked round behind the scenes through one of the "hidden" doors up there...
loved this quote:
a huge beautiful library is a place of endless pleasure.
And how about this, contender for the world's most beautiful bookstore...I'd love to work in a place like this:
Opened in 1906, Livraria Lello is one of the most beautiful bookstores in Porto and the world. It is the flagship store for one of the most important Portuguese publishing houses. Located near Praça dos Leões, it is an old bookshop, with an amazing interior - stained glass, carved wood, an amazing stairway, pressed copper, glass-enclosed bookshelves arched at the top, and Art Deco facade and interior on two levels.
http://www.slideshare.net/Helga/livraria-lello