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One of my favorite rooms along with many others who have a favorite. Vanderbilt’s book collection consists of approximately 24,000 volumes, with less than half of that in the library. The room was designed about the gorgeous 18th century ceiling painting by Pelligrini. Titled “The Chariot of Aurora,” it was originally located in a palace in Venice, Italy. The painting, 64 feet long by 32 feet wide, consists of 13 separate canvases, the central scene surrounded by 12 smaller paintings. (I have several pics of the ceiling painting piece in my video, it is really quite beautiful). The black marble fireplace and walnut mantle were carved by Austrian artist Karl Bitter.
Once termed “one of the best read men in the country” by New York media, George Vanderbilt was a reader from an early age. At age 12, he began keeping a record of the books he had read, including the title and author of each work. The last entry before Vanderbilt’s death in 1914 was No. 3159, the third volume of Henry Adam’s History of the United States. He read an average of 81 books a year.
The Biltmore Estate’s stunning library holds more than 10,000 books, many of which are first editions. The library is two stories tall, with a spiral staircase leading up to a balcony that extends behind the fireplace to the other side of the room. A door located on the balcony leads to a secret passageway outside of Vanderbilt’s guest’s bedrooms on the second floor. (I would see this area during my Rooftop Tour the next afternoon). This was designed to allow guests to go back and forth from their rooms to grab a book without having to travel all the way down the grand staircase and back. For instance, a lady could grab a book in her nightgown and quickly get back to her room, something that would not have been permissible down the grand staircase in the highly-trafficked area of the Estate.
Once termed “one of the best read men in the country” by New York media, George Vanderbilt was a reader from an early age. At age 12, he began keeping a record of the books he had read, including the title and author of each work. The last entry before Vanderbilt’s death in 1914 was No. 3159, the third volume of Henry Adam’s History of the United States. He read an average of 81 books a year.
The Biltmore Estate’s stunning library holds more than 10,000 books, many of which are first editions. The library is two stories tall, with a spiral staircase leading up to a balcony that extends behind the fireplace to the other side of the room. A door located on the balcony leads to a secret passageway outside of Vanderbilt’s guest’s bedrooms on the second floor. (I would see this area during my Rooftop Tour the next afternoon). This was designed to allow guests to go back and forth from their rooms to grab a book without having to travel all the way down the grand staircase and back. For instance, a lady could grab a book in her nightgown and quickly get back to her room, something that would not have been permissible down the grand staircase in the highly-trafficked area of the Estate.