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Charles Spicer, the Editor of St. Martin’s Press, reviewed The Private Library in The Book Collector on November 18th. “If you dream of building a library in a private house, buy this unusual book . . . For the bibliophile there is on practically every page something to learn, something to delight and something to amuse.”

The Washington Post rated The Private Library among the top 50 nonfiction books of 2021 in an article on Nov. 18th. “Beautifully designed, Byers’s 500-page masterwork lays out how cultures from antiquity to the present created welcoming, comfortable spaces to house books.”

The first printing of the book sold out at the publisher over this last Thanksgiving weekend. A second printing has been ordered, and the new book (with corrections) can now be ordered at Oak Knoll Press. The publisher tells me that because of material delivery delays, it is expected to ship in the middle of February.

On Sept 20, Reid spoke to the Grolier Club in a hybrid meeting, live at the clubhouse on East 60th Street and virtually over Youtube. A recording of the lecture is available here.

Leigh Lockwood, Grolier member and Reid’s friend from Lawrenceville School days, introduced (and roasted) him appropriately. Following the lecture and cocktails at the Clubhouse, the assembled members moved to the Regency Grill for dinner.

The Private Library received a great review from A. N. Wilson in the July 23 issue of the Times Literary Supplement. It begins:

“This is a book by a library (and IT) nerd, but it is not meant for nerds. It is meant for TLS readers.”

The Private Library has been nominated for the Breslauer Prize, an award granted by the International Associate of Antiquarian Booksellers, an international association bringing together national associations of antiquarian booksellers. The League’s members are 22 national antiquarian booksellers’ associations representing businesses in 36 countries and over 1600 individual affiliates. It strives to uphold and improve professional standards in the trade, to promote honorable conduct in business, and to contribute in various ways to a broader appreciation of the history and art of the book. It awards a US$10,000 prize every four years to the author of the best work, published or unpublished, of learned bibliography, of research into the history of the book or of typography, or books of general interest on the subject.

Reid will speak on his new book, The Private Library, at the Grolier Club, 47 East 60th Street, New York, at 6:00 pm on September 20, 2021. The special function meeting, in the Council Room of the clubhouse, will be a hybrid meeting (virtual and in-person), being also shared over Zoom.

Reid will speak on his new book, The Private Library, at a meeting of the Book Club of California, at 5:00 pm, PDT, on July 26, 2021.

Reid will speak on his new book, The Private Library, at a Zoom meeting of the Baxter Society, at 7:00 pm on May 12, 2021. The Baxter is the bibliophilic organization of Portland, Maine. To attend as a guest, please visit the Baxter Society website.

The Private Library is available for pre-order at Oak Knoll Press, New Castle, Delaware, as of April 13, 2021.