It’s hard to argue with the idea that our complex cultures set us apart from the rest of the animal world. As Diana Gitig put it in her review of Darwin’s Unfinished Symphony : Other species are indisputably smart; they can learn by example, they can communicate, they can innovate to solve problems, they can use tools, they may even have distinct cultures. But humans are clearly different. Other species don’t listen to Baroque concerti or read classical philosophy hundreds of years after the scores were composed or the treatises written.

There are few things writers and readers love more than libraries.I have fond memories of bicycling to and from the library when I was growing up in Ridgewood, NJ, and I also have spent plenty of quality time at events and doing research at the New York Public Library. But feast your eyes on this amazing place in Yangzhou, China. The image above is the entrance, which uses a black mirrored finish on the floor and distinct rounded shelving to create a stunning effect.