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Where to Read a Book
La Librairie Antique
Modern books have flexible covers that allow them to be folded and read in almost any position. You can read
slumped on a sofa, propped up on one elbow, or more properly, in bed with your back well supported by two, or even three pillows. Outdoors, the equivalent postures are reading on the grass, against a tree trunk, or on your lap (preferably crossed, for the perfect neck angle). The best way to read is at a desk, sitting upright like a pianist, with the text on a lectern.
Are those who read while walking their “pedestrian editions,” as the English call them, more passionate than others? What are they seeking? To isolate themselves? To avoid wasting time? And yet there are so many books extolling the virtues of walking. Their authors might be shocked to learn they are read this way, or they might say their readers have understood nothing. Do we read to make up for lost time? The train is the ideal setting for a bit of reading, elbows politely tucked in so as not to disturb your neighbour. In a restaurant, a book provides a sense of decorum that the smoking ban has stripped from solitary gourmands. Not to mention reading while driving, though that won’t get us far.
An old book, however, demands more delicate handling from its owner, as if the number of its years calls for special respect. Chapels have been built for it, their architecture always betraying the quest for perfect lighting. But a private library is designed solely for storage and preservation. If you venture in, forget acrobatic poses and opt for slow reading to avoid ruining these precious relics. Avoid reading in the bath, while cooking—at least that. Reading while gardening is downright provocative.
But never mind—everyone is free to read wherever they please!
