Bruno's Books

   Bruno Schröder worked in the Ibbenbüren mines near the German town of Mettingen. He was also a collector of books and Der Spiegel reports that he bought about twenty new volumes per week. He passed away a while back and it was discovered that there are about 70,000 books in the house he left behind. Here is a sample of what is to be seen as you enter one room.  

  One person who viewed photographs of the collection says: "But I also recognized something else: one of the bookcases pictured online was filled with thin books in antique tones, each with a small title label hand-pasted on its spine. They were from Insel Verlag, which publishes a series of classics in sturdy but portable hardcovers. The Insel-Bücherei books are easy to spot: their covers boast no photographs, blurbs or ISBNs."  Apparently the books are catalogued and well organized. 

    According to a story reported by Daniel Winkelkotte, "It could be the largest private library in Westphalia," Winkelkotte says. Taking aside public libraries or private museums and research centers, how many anonymous people in the world, whose work activity has nothing to do with literature, have housed so many books in their homes? "The house is quite inconspicuous in the middle of a housing estate. But under the roof, and up to the roof, there is a real treasure: a treasure trove of books." But, wait, there are more:

  Given that he was an engineer, he must have calculated the weight the ceilings would hold.

  The entire house was full of, and the walls covered in books. His wife must have been a wonderful soul and would likely have agree with the Reverend Sydney Smith who wrote: "No furniture so charming as books, even if you never open them, or read a single word.”

Sources:

   "Hoard As Many Books As You Can; Let Them Be Your Life's Companions," Jane Shilling, The Telegraph Online, Jan. 29, 2023.
   "The Secret Story of the German Miner Who Had 70,000 Books," CE Noticias Financieras, Feb. 8, 2023.
   "Shelf Life," Irina Dumitrescu, TLS, Feb. 24, 2023

Post Script:

   You may recall that Professor Macksey also had about 70,000 books, but he was a professor of literature. See: "Professor Macksey's Library (Again.)"
   Stalin had only 25,000. See: "Stalin's Library."