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A Life with Books
Julian Barnes, one of Britain’s most distinguished novelists, is also an acclaimed essayist. A Life with Books is an essay specially commissioned for Independent Booksellers Week, supplied exclusively to independent bookshops. In it, Julian Barnes writes about his early awareness of books and about his obsessive book-collecting and time spent in second-hand bookshops around the country. He ends by praising the physical book and expressing the confident hope that it will survive.
A Life with Books is published as a pamphlet, with cover art by Suzanne Dean, the renowned designer responsible for the cover of Julian Barnes’ Man Booker-winning The Sense of an Ending.
A Life with Books is published as a pamphlet, with cover art by Suzanne Dean, the renowned designer responsible for the cover of Julian Barnes’ Man Booker-winning The Sense of an Ending.
27 pages, Pamphlet
First published January 1, 2012
1198 people want to read
About the author
Julian Barnes
162 books6,783 followersJulian Patrick Barnes is an English writer. He won the Man Booker Prize in 2011 with The Sense of an Ending, having been shortlisted three times previously with Flaubert's Parrot, England, England, and Arthur & George. Barnes has also written crime fiction under the pseudonym Dan Kavanagh (having married Pat Kavanagh). In addition to novels, Barnes has published collections of essays and short stories.
In 2004 he became a Commandeur of L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. His honours also include the Somerset Maugham Award and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. He was awarded the 2021 Jerusalem Prize.
In 2004 he became a Commandeur of L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. His honours also include the Somerset Maugham Award and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. He was awarded the 2021 Jerusalem Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
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May 23, 2018Depending on your stove, I suppose, you could read this in the time it takes to cook a soft-boiled egg. Maybe less. It's a scant 27 pages and might have made an interesting magazine Q & A. But to sell this, as if it is a book, a book about the love of books, diminishes a brilliant author.
Barnes quotes an American writer: Some people think that life is the thing; but I prefer reading. Barnes says of this: When I first came across this, I thought it witty; now I find it - as I do many aphorisms - a slick untruth.
I feel that way about aphorisms too.
Like what Barnes wrote in the preceding paragraph: I have no Luddite prejudice against new technology; it's just that books look like they contain knowledge, while e-readers look as if they contain information.
Few can write as brilliantly as Barnes, but I, for one, love books as much as him. This could have been so much more.
Barnes quotes an American writer: Some people think that life is the thing; but I prefer reading. Barnes says of this: When I first came across this, I thought it witty; now I find it - as I do many aphorisms - a slick untruth.
I feel that way about aphorisms too.
Like what Barnes wrote in the preceding paragraph: I have no Luddite prejudice against new technology; it's just that books look like they contain knowledge, while e-readers look as if they contain information.
Few can write as brilliantly as Barnes, but I, for one, love books as much as him. This could have been so much more.
February 15, 2015
"Reading and life are not separate but symbiotic. And for this serious task of imaginative discovery and self-discovery, there is and remains one perfect symbol: the printed book."
December 8, 2015
"Reading is a majority skill but a minority art." (p.25)
"When you read a great book, you don't escape from life, you plunge deeper into it." (p.27)
"When you read a great book, you don't escape from life, you plunge deeper into it." (p.27)
October 22, 2023
" I still buy books faster than I can read them, but again this feels completely normal: how weird it would be to have around you only as many books as you have time to read in the rest of your life." How true is this?
This is one of my favourite essays by Julian Barnes, here he looks back on his lifelong relationship with books and makes a very powerful case for the importance of the printed book!
To quote Barnes... "Every book feels and looks different in your hands, every Kindle download feels and looks exactly the same "
"Reading is a majority skill but a minority art".
Simply wonderful!
This is one of my favourite essays by Julian Barnes, here he looks back on his lifelong relationship with books and makes a very powerful case for the importance of the printed book!
To quote Barnes... "Every book feels and looks different in your hands, every Kindle download feels and looks exactly the same "
"Reading is a majority skill but a minority art".
Simply wonderful!
September 4, 2012
I was lucky enough to be in London a few weeks ago, luckier still to have an hour to wander undisturbed in The London Review Bookshop where I found Julian Barnes's essay printed in booklet form. He wrote the essay to support Independent Booksellers' Week, and all of the proceeds from sales will go to Freedom from Torture, a medical foundation to care for torture victims.
His essay is universal and personal, sharing his lifelong love of books and reading. He describes being awakened to books as a young boy, going on road trips to second-hand bookshops as a young man, and his attachment now to the physical book and bookshop.
The essay had lines to linger over, as one would expect from Julian Barnes's writing. Writing of reading and physical books, Barnes ends with "Reading and life are not separate but symbiotic. And for this serious task of imaginative discovery and self-discovery, there is and remains one perfect symbol: the printed book."
His essay is universal and personal, sharing his lifelong love of books and reading. He describes being awakened to books as a young boy, going on road trips to second-hand bookshops as a young man, and his attachment now to the physical book and bookshop.
The essay had lines to linger over, as one would expect from Julian Barnes's writing. Writing of reading and physical books, Barnes ends with "Reading and life are not separate but symbiotic. And for this serious task of imaginative discovery and self-discovery, there is and remains one perfect symbol: the printed book."
January 28, 2020
“When you read a great book, you don’t escape from life, you plunge deeper into it. There may be a superficial escape – into different countries, mores, speech patterns – but what you are essentially doing is furthering your understanding of life’s subtleties, paradoxes, joys, pains and truths. Reading and life are not separate but symbiotic.”
August 20, 2012
I've become more and more interested in reading about people's relationships with books and how they became bibliophiles. So reading Julian Barnes' essay about his life with books was very enjoyed to me. Barnes talks manly about become a collector of books but he does cover finding his love for books and reading as well.
It was interesting to read his opinion of books vs ereaders and the bit that stood out the most was when he said "books look like they contain knowledge while ereaders just look like they contain information". I thought this was an interesting point to finish up this book.
I would love to read more books or essays like this but I don't know what would be good so I need to find some recommendations.
It was interesting to read his opinion of books vs ereaders and the bit that stood out the most was when he said "books look like they contain knowledge while ereaders just look like they contain information". I thought this was an interesting point to finish up this book.
I would love to read more books or essays like this but I don't know what would be good so I need to find some recommendations.
February 28, 2015
يكتب الروائي الانجليزي جوليان بارنز (جائزة البوكر 2011) في هذا الكتاب القصير جداً، عن علاقته بالقراءة والكتب. الأسلوب بسيط جداً ومباشر وحميم بلا تكلف أو بهرجة.
يقول بارنز في النهاية : "أشعر بالتفاؤل حيال مستقبل الكتب والقراءة، ولا أتفق مع من يقول أن القراءة ستموت، لا. ستظل القراءة مصدر أساسي للمعرفة، ولا يمكن لأي وسيلة أخرى أن تعوض العلاقة الفريدة بين صوت الكاتب المتخيل وعقل القارئ الحي. أما بالنسبة للنقاش حول الكتاب الإلكتروني، والكتاب التقليدي، فإني أقدر جيداً مزايا وفوائد الكتاب الإلكتروني ولا أشعر بأي عداوة سطحية تجاهه، ولكني أعتقد بأن الكتاب المطبوع سيظل رمزاً للعلاقة الكبيرة بين الكتاب والحياة نفسها".
October 25, 2014
This is not a book but rather a small pamphlet with Julian Barnes’s ruminations on his life with books as a book fetishist. It doesn’t take long to read, but no more room is needed here. It is like a distillation of thoughts on books; as someone wrote in here, it is like an espresso – lots of taste in a very small cup. The taste here is rich, as always with Julian Barnes, and heart-warming in a way that I suppose only other booklovers would be able to recognize.
Two typical Barnes statements that I took away from this:
“Reading is a majority skill but a minority art.”
“When you read a great book, you don’t escape from life, you plunge deeper into it.”
Two typical Barnes statements that I took away from this:
“Reading is a majority skill but a minority art.”
“When you read a great book, you don’t escape from life, you plunge deeper into it.”
February 2, 2014
This is so short that i read it twice. But its length is not the point of the book, it should be considered as an expresso, a distillation of a longer tome into something that you can consume in a moment.
Barnes writes here of his love of the printed book, from the discovery of books on his parents and grandparents shelves to the joy of discovering a first edition.
It is his account of an affair that he has had all his life, he has resisted the temptation of the svelte, young ereader, and long may he do so.
Barnes writes here of his love of the printed book, from the discovery of books on his parents and grandparents shelves to the joy of discovering a first edition.
It is his account of an affair that he has had all his life, he has resisted the temptation of the svelte, young ereader, and long may he do so.
July 20, 2012
Novelist, essayist, Booker Prize winner and all around genius writer Julian Barnes published this tiny essay for charity. I found out about it and was able to buy a copy from 'cross the pond.
It's about what a little book weevil Barnes is, how he's been collecting since he was a very young man and all his trials and tribulations thereof and forthwith. It's adorable and darling finding out he's as book mad as all that, especially his admitting he looked through some of his older brother's books avidly, because there were nude drawings in the texts of Ancient Roman works!
Julian Barnes?
Yes, pets, Julian Barnes.
"Over the next decade or so - from the late Sixties to the late Seventies - I became a furious book-hunter, driving to the market towns and cathedral cities of England in my Morris Traveller and loading it with books bought at a rate which far exceeded any possible reading speed."
That sounds vaguely familiar...
"I bought with a hunger which I recognise, looking back, was a kind of neediness: well, bibliomania is a known condition."
Yes, yes it is!
And on he goes, for 27 pages of pure bliss. If you live in the UK it's only £ 1.99. For us in the Colonies, unfortunately, all the king's taxes of course make it much higher - $ 7.00 or so, I seem to recall pp but don't quote me on that. Mayhaps we should dump a bit more tea in the harbor, lads...
It's just such a joy. A complete and utter joy. Grab hold of one while you can.
It's about what a little book weevil Barnes is, how he's been collecting since he was a very young man and all his trials and tribulations thereof and forthwith. It's adorable and darling finding out he's as book mad as all that, especially his admitting he looked through some of his older brother's books avidly, because there were nude drawings in the texts of Ancient Roman works!
Julian Barnes?
Yes, pets, Julian Barnes.
"Over the next decade or so - from the late Sixties to the late Seventies - I became a furious book-hunter, driving to the market towns and cathedral cities of England in my Morris Traveller and loading it with books bought at a rate which far exceeded any possible reading speed."
That sounds vaguely familiar...
"I bought with a hunger which I recognise, looking back, was a kind of neediness: well, bibliomania is a known condition."
Yes, yes it is!
And on he goes, for 27 pages of pure bliss. If you live in the UK it's only £ 1.99. For us in the Colonies, unfortunately, all the king's taxes of course make it much higher - $ 7.00 or so, I seem to recall pp but don't quote me on that. Mayhaps we should dump a bit more tea in the harbor, lads...
It's just such a joy. A complete and utter joy. Grab hold of one while you can.
July 16, 2013
Just read this in the bookstore. Rather good, but wrongly titled. It is more like a love letter by Barnes to Books. The physical as opposed to the "e" variety.
October 25, 2025
I read this on the international train from Amsterdam to London -- (when I go on vacation, I always bring a couple smaller books or essays that I can leave behind).
I enjoyed the stories in the middle of essay. You can feel his enthousiasm for book hunting and finding specific works or editions.
A lot of the authors he mentions near the beginning of this essay, I've never heard of... I literally work in a secondhand bookstore, so these must not have been examples of literary highlights. Or maybe it's a regional or generational thing.
I enjoyed the stories in the middle of essay. You can feel his enthousiasm for book hunting and finding specific works or editions.
A lot of the authors he mentions near the beginning of this essay, I've never heard of... I literally work in a secondhand bookstore, so these must not have been examples of literary highlights. Or maybe it's a regional or generational thing.
December 4, 2012
He is the king of essay writing,
His journey is inspirational. I found it very interesting reading how he has lived his life surrounded by books,
Books make sense of the world we live in, and Barnes makes that clear.
Short but beautiful
October 26, 2014
Delightful essay on books and the everlasting love of reading and collecting them. Apparent for all who suffer from bibliomania, 'a known condition'...
December 6, 2016
A 27-page "book". Good to catch up on your reading challenge :p surprisingly I found a lot to quote in those 27 pages
May 21, 2017
"I still buy books faster than I can read them. But again, this feels completely normal: how weird it would be to have around you only as many books you have time to read in the rest of your life."
You cannot not love Julian Barnes. He writes with intelligence and wit, and this small book about some of his first real encounters with books is no exception. Also he has but a lot og thought into the journey of the printed book, past, present and future.
As a bibliomaniac, this is a must read!
"Reading and life are not separate but symbiotic. And for this serious task of imaginative discovery and self-discovery, there is and remains one perfect symbol: the printed book."
You cannot not love Julian Barnes. He writes with intelligence and wit, and this small book about some of his first real encounters with books is no exception. Also he has but a lot og thought into the journey of the printed book, past, present and future.
As a bibliomaniac, this is a must read!
"Reading and life are not separate but symbiotic. And for this serious task of imaginative discovery and self-discovery, there is and remains one perfect symbol: the printed book."
January 15, 2022
A short essay about the personal love of (printed) books. Favorite quotes:
To own a certain book - and to choose it without help - was to define yourself.
I still buy books faster than I can read them. But again, this feels completely normal: how weird it would be to have around you only as many books as you have time to read in the rest of your life.
Reading is a majority skill but a minority art.
When you read a great book, you don't escape from life, you plunge deeper into it.
To own a certain book - and to choose it without help - was to define yourself.
I still buy books faster than I can read them. But again, this feels completely normal: how weird it would be to have around you only as many books as you have time to read in the rest of your life.
Reading is a majority skill but a minority art.
When you read a great book, you don't escape from life, you plunge deeper into it.
March 19, 2018
#ASReadList If you are a bibliophile, you would feel a wave of joy gliding across you while reading this short essay. What joy is it to know that someone out there cherishes reading in a manner like yours and what's more, they are able to put words to that feeling!
April 1, 2025
[Jonathan Cape] (2012). SB. 27 Pages. Purchased from sprawl48.
The one (potentially) interesting anecdote in this flimsy offering - which relates to a “… rather famous living author…” swapping out a 1/1, postally presented for signing, with a 1/2 - was spoiled by anonymity.
The one (potentially) interesting anecdote in this flimsy offering - which relates to a “… rather famous living author…” swapping out a 1/1, postally presented for signing, with a 1/2 - was spoiled by anonymity.
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July 22, 2020I'm looking for this book, any idea where can i get an Ebook of it? yes, only ebook woulda worked.
September 6, 2020
Ett kort essay om kjærligheten til printed books
April 15, 2013
For book lovers, and especially those who are fans of Julian Barnes, this charming little pamphlet is his passion put into words.
Short enough to be an essay on the topic, ‘A Life with Books’ is Barnes’s personal journey and exploration of his love of books. Bound into a miniature book, it is quick enough to read in under an hour. During this reprieve, readers will be moved and amused as we can all relate to his maturation, changes, and epiphanies that come with a lifetime of reading.
‘A Life with Books’ is a dedication to these carefully-written, bound, and sold items that enrich so many lives – they embolden us, educate us, temper us. Yet it is also a very personal glimpse into the author’s feelings; feelings that have developed throughout a lifetime of reading and writing.
January 20, 2016
A short essay (27 pages) that describes Julian Barnes' first encounters with books, leading to obsessive book-collecting and time spent searching second-hand bookshops as he is a completist. It finishes with Julian Barnes telling us of his continuing attachment to physical books and physical bookshops, and his view that bookshops will have to learn to earn their keep. He also comments that books will have to become more desirable: not luxury goods but well designed, attractive and remember in later years that this was the edition in which we first encountered what lay inside.
This resonates very strongly for me, as I do remember the covers of many of the significant (to me) books I have read. And don't tell my wife, but if this is the case then I nearly always need to retain the original books when I buy better editions (usually beautiful Folio Society editions).
This resonates very strongly for me, as I do remember the covers of many of the significant (to me) books I have read. And don't tell my wife, but if this is the case then I nearly always need to retain the original books when I buy better editions (usually beautiful Folio Society editions).
May 25, 2013
"life and reading are not separate activities. the distinction is false (as it is when yeats imagines the writer's choice between "perfection of the life, or of the work"). when you read a great book, you don't escape from life, you plunge deeper into it. there may be a superficial escape- into different countries, mores, speech patterns- but what you are essentially doing is furthering your understanding of life's subtleties, paradoxes, joys, pains and truths. reading and life are not separate but symbiotic. and for this serious task of imaginative discovery and self discovery, there is and remains one perfect symbol: the printed book"
December 29, 2014
I had this lovely little essay in my stocking at Christmas, and reading it was quite an experience. Firstly, I recognised myself in the narrative; beginning as a lover of reading and turning into a bibliophile that buys and keeps books just for the sake of it. Secondly, it allowed me to follow through on something I'd been considering for a while. What is the point of owning hundreds of books that you know you'll never read, don't look spectacular on your bookshelf, and/or have sentimental value? So, without any upset or difficulty, I cleared out some old books, which will be set free into the world for someone else to enjoy... or to gather dust on their shelves instead.
January 30, 2013
"I still buy books faster than I can read them. But again, this feels completely normal: how weird it would be to have around you only as many books as you have time to read in the rest of your life."
July 4, 2012
A short nice declaration of love to books.
July 22, 2012
A short essay about the value of reading, and collecting books. A twenty minute read, but with a few great lines.
August 8, 2012
As my life is so similar to Julian Barnes' probably my next step is to bcome a famous and incomprehensible writer...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews