The vastness of the unknown can feel terrifying, which is why many people feel uncomfortable with the idea of accumulating books they haven’t read. But embracing the unknown is what drives discovery. As Scottish scientist James Clerk Maxwell once said: “Thoroughly conscious ignorance is the prelude to every real advance in science.” An antilibrary is a reminder of everything we don’t know.

Embracing the Uncomfortable Unknown 

You will accumulate more knowledge and more books as you grow older, and the growing number of unread books on the shelves will look at you menacingly. Indeed, the more you know, the larger the rows of unread books. Let us call this collection of unread books an antilibrary.

A Collection Of Unread Books

According to Umberto Eco, a private library is a research tool. The goal of an antilibrary is not to collect books you have read so you can proudly display them on your shelf; instead, it is to curate a highly personal collection of resources around themes you are curious about. Instead of a celebration of everything you know, an antilibrary is an ode to everything you want to explore.

The Antilibrary's Goal

An antilibrary is a private collection of unread books, first mentioned by Lebanese-American scholar and author Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his book, 'The Black Swan'

The Antilibrary

The writer of The Swan, Umberto Eco is the owner of a large personal library (containing thirty thousand books), and separates visitors into two categories: <ul><li>Those who react with “Wow! Signore professore dottore Eco, what a library you have! How many of these books have you read?”* </li><li>And a very small minority—who get the point that a private library is not an ego-boosting appendage but a research tool. Read books are far less valuable than unread ones. </li></ul>

Umberto Eco's Collection of Books

Now I see my massive collection of unread books with a new perspective! 

Unread books are as powerful as the ones we read. An antilibrary is a private collection of unread books capturing the vastness of the unknown.

A Collection Of Unread Books

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View Your Unread Books As A Reminder Of How Little You Know