Reviews

The Secret Library: A Book-Lovers' Journey Through Curiosities of History by Oliver Tearle

zoefruitcake's review against another edition

4.0

Anyone who enjoys reading would enjoy this book of facts about books. Great for dipping in to

onyxisalive's review against another edition

Got distracted by other things and had to return the book. Will pick up at a later point

karathompson's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

3.5

mhmrose's review against another edition

informative lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.5

Spanning hundreds of years of literary history, Oliver Tearle presents the lesser-known tidbits of writers and literary periods that specific authors/movements outshined. Well-researched and intriguing, The Secret Library had my attention from page one, exploring areas of literary history that I didn't even know about. The Secret Library is the perfect coffee-table book to read on a lazy day. I highly recommend Tearle's book if you love learning about literature or want to read about someone other than the authors with dozens of biographies about them.

Thank you, NetGalley and Michael O'Mara Limited for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

songsaboutghosts's review against another edition

2.0

There are some quite interesting bits to this book, but there are also quite a few drawbacks. The author repeatedly refers to works as "foreshadowing" future works, apparently ignorant of the fact that that isn't foreshadowing, and is in fact much more likely to be inspiring. He also refers to people as authors of works they have merely translated, and while this may make a valuable contribution to accessible literature to a country, the translator hasn't contributed anywhere near as much as the author. (This is most apparent when examining later works mentioned such as Kafka - but there is no mention of the names of any translators of Die Verwandlung). There are also parts where the work seems disjointed, as if the writer wrote each section on each text separately and never took the time to read it all together. in some points he presumes knowledge the reader may not have (such as mentioning Wilde's imprisonment but not explaining the circumstances) whereas in other places he gives details which most readers are probably already aware of. Also, despite the fact the book purports to be about the influence of many texts on culture and history, the author often gets caught up in biographies of the authors and doesn't explain how the works are or even were relevant. thus the reader is left wondering why the precursor to Jurassic Park is included but monumental works such as those of McInerney, Easton Ellis and Kerouac, and mentioned Fitzgerald and Hemingway without discussing the real importance of their work. Additionally, while discussing famous Jewish writers during the period of WW2, Tearle mentions Levi and his book The Periodic Table but fails to mention If This Is A Man, the book Levi actually wrote about his experiences in Auschwitz, which he emphatically omits in The Periodic Table.
Overall, this book is very accessible but is pretty disappointing for an established literary enthusiast.

bookswithlydscl's review against another edition

funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.25

4.25* 

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael O'Mara Limited for an eARC of "The Secret Library" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review. 

This revised edition of a 2016 release is a lighthearted wander through literary history packed with interesting literary facts and funny anecdotes. It meanders chronologically starting with ancient literature and bringing us up to date and reads like a series of vignettes making it easy to dip in and out of at your pleasure. 

I really enjoyed the variety of mini essays on offer and appreciated the introductions of early women writers including Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe.

Overall, a book for booklovers that is entertaining light reading with many facts and titbits that'll make you want to pick it up multiple times without fear of having to read a full book each time.

This re-release is published on March 28th 2024

undervmountain's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

2.0

 There's a lot of interesting bookish trivia in here, but I couldn't help but notice that the author only focused on heavily white countries, ignoring that any of the other countries even existed. Still, the naked hardcover will make a good Instagram prop. 

mirandahopeshea's review against another edition

5.0

I found this book surprisingly delightful, witty, and well researched. Not a page went by where I hadn’t learned a new and interesting fact, leading me to read quite a bit of it aloud in excitement (much to my partner’s chagrin). For those who love books, history, and all things pertaining to arcane knowledge- but also sex, bodily functions, and quite a lot of humor.

fionaab's review against another edition

informative lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

georgilvsbooks's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 ***

Some really interesting facts and I even added some books to my TBR pile.

However I just found some parts to be quite boring personally.