Book lovers will endure packed, haphazard libraries and dusty used bookstores, and will browse in uncomfortable locales to find a good read. It’s always a special treat when one finds a place that’s not only spacious and beautiful but also shows great love and respect for books. Welcome to Newberry Library in Chicago, where beauty and books coexist in perfect harmony.

The Newberry Library is a research library that was built in 1887 and remains a stately, elegant home for rare books and manuscripts.
Newberry Library/Google Maps
The exquisite entryway might make you think you've wandered into a Roman statehouse with columns, marble walls, and a beautiful mosaic on the floor.
Newberry Library/Google Maps
Books of sheet music from ages past will intrigue book, music, and history lovers alike. The library has collections dedicated to many arts.
Management/TripAdvisor
Gorgeously preserved illuminated tomes can be savored here. Some of the collected works date back to the 15th century, including eras like the Renaissance, the Reformation, and more.
Management/TripAdvisor

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Some books are too fragile to handle, but can still be enjoyed in several rooms full of glass cases displaying everything from old photos to massive volumes from all over the world.
Daniel Baek/Google Maps
For a more hands-on experience, there are diverse rooms with shelves full of research books on every topic imaginable.
Newberry Library/Google Maps
Once you've found a few books to peruse, you can enjoy them in peace in multiple well-lit, quiet reading rooms.
Adil Qayyum/Google Maps
While the library has computers all around for you to look up titles, it still maintains a card catalog for those who prefer to go old-school.
Adil Qayyum/Google Maps

The Newberry Library is just across the street from Washington Square Park and makes for a wonderful day of browsing and reading. There are so many wonderful collections that you wouldn’t be able to take them in fully during a single day. It’s one of the reasons many consider Chicago to be the best city. Who can blame them, when it is full of so many man-made wonders? What are your favorite places to read and explore in Illinois? Let us know!

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Newberry Library, 60 W Walton St, Chicago, IL 60610, USA