Since 1895, Kathmandu has had a library so fantastical that its outdoor area is called the Garden of Dreams. “I can only describe this incredible place as a living Wes Anderson tribute to Orientalism,” writes archaeologist Alex Urmeneta about the Kaiser Library, originally a private library housing over 28,000 books, including some of the oldest surviving in the world. The decor involved huge animal heads and leather couches; some texts are impossibly ancient, written in long-dead languages. On April 25th, when the Nepal earthquake hit, it was, perhaps irreparably, damaged. The 120-year-old palace that houses the library now boasts a new sign, reading “unsafe to enter.” The chief librarian estimated to the AFP that about a third of its book collection is damaged.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/our-ultimate-dream-library-has-been-partially-destroyed
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