Hannah Paskin You can! Go to RomanRoadsMedia.com - you can learn from him through the Old Western Culture series, or even through live online classes! :)
I’m still in high school, so this collection and Callihan’s knowledge on history, philosophy, and literature is inspiring. I’m still on my journey, the slow and slightly terrifying journey, of cultivating my knowledge; even if I was able to obtain half of his collection and intellect, I would be content.
@@coffeemachtspass ooh.... And add to that a beautiful, lovely and sincere wife. .... Oofff.... Perfection indeed.... Do sports 3x a week, man, btw. And don't forget nature walks and cold showers.
for me i collecting some books from few authors to read for my down time when im not on the computer gaming or watching video or watching tv, i just sit on the bed & read a book also relax
funny how a certain type of person instantly evokes a sense of pleasure and warmth. Perhaps abit to sentimental for this day and age, but man this dude talks in a way that remind one of going home for christmas after a long exam period. go wes
What a great compliment - I wish i'd seen this five years ago when it was posted! If I'm too sentimental for this day and age, maybe the problem is with the day and age, lol.
LeandroBRC47 I’m assuming modern morals like don’t read if you do don’t read for pleasure read so you can feel superior and brag (got that from screwtape) also history revision one school is teaching that Abraham was a Democrat and it was the republican who succeed the evidence behind it is that Republicans are racist. There’s also identity standing out which this man does. He’s humble reads to better himself and because he wants too very odd values and traits
Of all the videos I've watched on personal libraries...this one is by far the best. It may be old school, but its distinguished and its absolutely authentic. Bravo, sir, for your exquisite taste and collection!!!
Such passion united with erudition and love of learning is a rare thing. Wes is a remarkable teacher, unconstrained by temporal politics and superficial trends in education and the larger society. Very refreshing! Thank you, Wes.
best home library i've seen so far. Indeed, organizing your books in which era they came from is an excellent idea. Maybe i'll do the same once I have more books!
@@Dave.Mustaine.Is.Genius They really aren't that separate honestly. Most Islamic scholarship was based heavily on Aristotle. The Western World actually got Aristotle BACK from Islam after they were lost. We actually went quite a while without what is one of the major keystones of Western thought. It's kind of crazy.
Never, ever, ever! Start collecting 2nd hand books now and by the time you're 40 you will have a sizable collection. Only get what you're interested in, don't get books to "seem clever", I have about 50 of those, out of 1,000 that's not bad but they take up space. Real books cannot be replaced by technology, period!
A fine library and a thoughtful tour. I'd like to talk to him about revelation as a reliable epistemology, but, nevertheless, I will admire his books and passion for them. Well done.
Your lecture on the Middle Ages was inspiring. Also I would really enjoy learning about the early saints. I was expecting a secular library tour this was way more interesting. Thank you.
Thanks for the video and walk thtough history. As a theologian and eternal learner, I appreciate you taking us through it; especially, its impact on what we are today. I am in the process of re-doing my home library; I had not considered your approach, but will do now. Thanks.
Monty Thibault Gnosticism is the idea that faith is more personal and not tied to a common scripture. Hence a digital book, which doesn’t really exist, only in someone’s head, is gnostic. Non-gnostic faith is rooted in scripture, written physical books universal to everyone. A physical book can exist independent of the person reading it, will still be there after they’re gone. I guess the comparison is that Christianity is true regardless of whether any one person believes it. It’s a truth potentially available to everyone in the same way a physical book is.
@@williams.5952 No, I just didn't explain myself very well. I was simply referring to that aspect of gnosticism that rejects the value of the material, physical world. So the emphasis in digital books on "just the content", as though the bodies of books with their colors, heft, smell, and textures, mean nothing, is sort of gnostic.
I love how if he has a question about what a word means in a book, he opens another book to find the meaning..... most people would bust out google.....He is truly a smart man
I first watched this library tour years ago and it's as enjoyable now as it was then. I hope you are well Wes and still teaching. If this is a taste, you do it so well 👍🏾
I am not a believer, but still found it wonderfully interesting to hear this man talking about his books and the many connections between them. I wish there many more such presentations on YT where people talk about what they really love and understand on a deep level. I love all those shabby cloth covers and the complete absence of Tolkien and Harry Potter.
That's neat that you have three shelves of Homer. "De Anima" is my favourite work of Aristotle. I recommend it, if you're interested in a metaphysical meets spirituality, theme of writing style.
Interesting approach to shelving one's books! I have a similar system for filing my recordings, especially LPs (which are less chaotically placed than CDs and audiocassettes). Within large categories, say, ballet music, I shelve the music by date of composer's birth. Miscellaneous recordings of ballet segments (e.g. "Great Moments of Ballet") I sheve in alphabetical order by conductor. And so it goes. Works for me!
I wish I could have been a learned man. To have a passion for books and being able to make a living at it is priceless. A true classically educated man. One day …. one day I’ll tackle Virgil’s Aeneid.
I'M IMPRESSED!!!! Wes Callihan is a truly well-read scholar if ever there were one!! I'm also jealous in that he has such a vast private library!! Thank God for literacy and for marvelous people like Wes!! :-)
My God, your language alignment method is brilliant! I'm going to steal--I mean, ADOPT it for my own library! And it's interesting. It would never have occurred to me to collect multiple translations of works. I always went for the most accurate translations because it offended me to read an inferior or biased translation but now I'll give it some thought once I can afford the space and storage issue.
Thank you so much for this video. You and I share tastes in literature. I have read most of these books and continue to digest them. All you need is a copy of the Domesday Book and the Gutenberg Bible. Imagine what was lost at the Library of Alexandria.
Your comments about the look, color and feel of your books is endearing. The Chinese have a similer sensuality. In Mandarin it's called: "SHU XIANG" the perfume of books.
That is really neat about the Mandarin word for the perfume of books! Are you familiar with our recent publication, "Redeeming the Six Arts"? It is about Chinese classical education, and specifically how Christian classical education in China ought to honor their own tradition vs embracing solely the Western texts as they are often tempted to do.
There are few videos on TH-cam that I keep returning to. This is one of them. It has been nearly 10 years since this video has been released and is easily the most popular video on your TH-cam channel. I would be lovely to get a 10 year update. I suspect 99% of the library will have remained the same but some questions that come to mind are: - How has Mr Callihan's Library changed in the past 10 years? - The most signficant finding that Mr Callihan has discovered from his books in the last 10 years. - What is Mr Callihan most looking forward to reading or re-reading in the next 10 years?
I appreciate his perspective on great books (and the shortcomings of The Britannica Great Books). Although I am an atheist and personally inclined towards ancient authors and their Enlightenment intellectual offspring, I am curious about the Middle Ages and willing to read their thoughts with a generous mind. Anyway, as a lover of books and the culture of the mind, I salute you. May your spines remain flexible and your pages crisp.
Great collection! I went to my brother's house that was recently renovated to include mostly hues of white and ivory. He and his wife had about 50 books in their personal library, but they had the spines of the books facing away from the room and not visible. My mom later told me this is a decorating tip to keep the room looking white and pure, and I was horrified.
Beautiful collection of works, the colors of the bindings in particular work together immensely well in creating a vibrant effect. Even as a deist I can appreciate that the works of the Middle Ages and "church literature" are vastly underrated genre.
Wes, this is amazing. What would be neat is for those of us who have NEVER read the classics for you to make a starter list of the top books to read. Maybe a beginner, intermediate, and advanced list so we can progress. Thanks
The Old Western Culture series he mentions goes through a 4 year high school curriculum of Greeks, Romans, Medieval-Elizabethan, then onward to the early modern. So read Homer, Hesiod, Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides, Herodotus, Thucydides, Plato, and Aristotle first.
Most of the books that survived the fall of Rome and the dark ages , Roman and Greek classics survived in one small church in Spain . If our world collapsed and this little personal library was saved you would to a great extent would have much of western history still. I like this gentleman without even meeting him fine fellow
A friend who holds a PhD in history of the catholic church recently commented that "The Dark Ages" also is a case of protestants slandering the times before the protestant churches were there; it was dark, because there was only the catholic church (or "the church") there.
Beautiful library. I don't read much currently but I will be reading a lot of books in the future. You have encouraged me to start building my collection of good books/works.
🤤 I will have a library like this one day. Right now my books just line my small house like insulation. I just stick them wherever I think they will be safe and take them out when we go over them in our school.
I am here once again, thanks to Autumn Kern's The Common Place video on How to Organize Your Library (Like a Christian) | Mother Culture Series | Classical Charlotte Mason.
His comments beginning at 9:58 on the “Top Shelf Book Set of Great Books” ( Mortimer Adler etc) are very revealing. Pointing out that the Dark Ages were equated with the Christian Age and suggesting what appears to be an attitude that is influenced deeply by Enlightenment thinking namely - Christianity results in Darkness! This is not dissimilar to the biased thinking of several strident atheists like Hitchens, Dawkins, Harris and others who, influenced by scientism and relativism, also equate Christianity (religion in general) with darkness.. Thanks for the observation Wes Callihan!
Wonderful. Its great and worthy of admiration. I liked your love for books. Please accept my hearty facilitations for the collection and maintenance in so much systematic way. With regards and affection from India. Aum shanti.
Ah, your Plutarch! I've got a copy of that same 2-volume Sir Thomas North reprint. What a find that was! I found it at a second-hand store, maybe a decade ago, and paid merely $6 or $8 for it, and it's in quite exquisite shape. (Now, to sometime actually buckle down, finally, and really try to dig into reading it one of these days!)
Beautiful library. Who wouldn't want a teacher like Wes. A godly and literate man with a passion for learning and teaching. A dying breed. Which translations of Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy were they I wonder? And what system of reading would Wes propose? I love to read but we are so spoiled by choice it almost becomes unbearable. The sheer weight of history and ideas and thought. Where does one start? And how long do you spend reading a book. Do you study or read for pleasure? Thanks! Great content.
Start by learning languages and do try to read books in their original languages as much as possible. Sanskrit, Chinese, Persian, Arabic, Greek, Latin and German are a good start. When ye go into a field, first do read a general history of that field. Then go into it's classics. If ye diye directly into classics without first reading that intellectual area's history, ye wouldn't understand much
Do say this because he did not mention Shakespeare? Because he certainly has Shakespeare's complete works on one of the shelves shown in this video, it happens to be the same version I have, and I could easily identify the set.
@@DoubleRuination ...my mistake, I didn't notice the books. I was just listening to what he said. It seemed like he skipped over The Bard. I'll have to watch it again.
He makes a little mistake when he says that Augustine lived around 1400. It was more like 400. But his point his valid. The U. of Chicago set skips almost the entire Middle Ages. Shouldn't do that! After all, how are we going to find out how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
Very interesting and inspiring. I recently retired and I am challenged to bring my office library home. Shelving is certainly a challenge to overcome. I organize my library similarly to how you organize yours. Thank you for sharing.
Nice private library. You can never have too much Homer. There is a stronger weight to christian writings than I enjoy. But very nice. I do appreciate Adler's Great Books collection. I have a copy and gave a set to my son, a UChicago Classics major. I found ours at our local library's weekly used book sales. Adler a University of Chicago professor has some fun books and interviews on books, reading and education. He's on TH-cam.
You forget the Carolingian era (mid 9th to the end of the 10th centuries). Very powerful theologically. Gottschalk of Orbais, Ratramnus of Corbie, Florus of Lyon, Paschasius Radbertus, and etc. This leads up to Anselm's Cur Deus Homo? Albert the Great or Albertus Magnus taught Aquinas and both were influenced by Avicenna (Ibn Sinna) and Averroes (Ibn Rushd-the great Muslim commentator on Aristotle).
I agree with all those, and I actually have all of them in my library, but I didn't have time to talk about everything on my shelves - though I wish I could! :)
Totally fascinating and interesting and Wes is spot on when he connects all things in the universe to the handiwork of God. Wes, is extremely vibrant and really breathes life into his chosen subject. a On a lighter note, Love the comment about Erasmus. Who said that when he got some money he purchased books and if he had anything left he purchased clothes and food. Erasmus got his priorities spot on from those who love their books!
Personally, I struggle to connect the abject suffering of 2 year-old children diagnosed with cancer, having barely left the hospital before returning there to die, with anything other than cosmic abandonment and a creator entity that differs immensely from any self-centred human attempt at characterisation.
How do you know he is spot on? How do you know that this "God" exists? What makes this deity the true one, and the thousands of others worshiped by humans false?
@@entiretinofsweetcorn7025 this is *precisely* the struggle in part of Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov, part of the great books canon, and another reason to read the classics. Because there is no problem we ponder, however terrible in its consequences, that hasn't been pondered in the great books. That doesn't always mean they have the right answers, but they help us struggle better with the issues. The issue you raise - how there be a God who is good and also all-powerful when there is such horrible evil in the world? - is one of, if the THE, hardest one there is.
This guy is the type of men I would like to have as a teacher. He seems nice, but still a good teacher, nice voice and pleasant face. Idk
Hannah Paskin You can! Go to RomanRoadsMedia.com - you can learn from him through the Old Western Culture series, or even through live online classes! :)
Hannah Paskin We're even having our once-per-year big sale RIGHT NOW (until August 17th)
Roman Roads Media Really? Awesome :D
Ü
Hannah Paskin you only talk, it’s hard to become one. Try becoming one yourself you fool
What, no Hunger Games or Twilight? (Just kidding!)
Man, I'd put a sleeping bag in that room and never leave.
Yesica1993 Visually impaired, so audio books work for me now.
acajudi100 oh I’m sorry, that must suck, audiobooks just are not the same for me.
@@acajudi100 audios are never replicas of real, physical books which have pages that are leaves of the history, as Wes Callihan said in this video
Any copies of cloudy with a chance of meatballs ? Jk 🤣
I’m still in high school, so this collection and Callihan’s knowledge on history, philosophy, and literature is inspiring. I’m still on my journey, the slow and slightly terrifying journey, of cultivating my knowledge; even if I was able to obtain half of his collection and intellect, I would be content.
Your time will come start at the librabry
Christian theology is the best place to begin. The KJV Bible is part of the "Great Books" collection. In our homeschool, we memorize key passages.
I can't describe how much I would love to have a collection like this.
If heaven was just living in this room for eternity I think I'd be okay with that
A good cup of coffee, a comfortable chair, and a beautiful book waiting to be admired. What could be better?
@@coffeemachtspass ooh.... And add to that a beautiful, lovely and sincere wife. .... Oofff.... Perfection indeed.... Do sports 3x a week, man, btw. And don't forget nature walks and cold showers.
@@coffeemachtspass The same but without the coffee would be better.
he is a type of man who really reads his books. not just collecting books for decoration.
for me i collecting some books from few authors to read for my down time when im not on the computer gaming or watching video or watching tv, i just sit on the bed & read a book also relax
Oh yes, I need to borrow a leaf
Yes I'm always quite impressed by people who have a lot of books and who have also read them
funny how a certain type of person instantly evokes a sense of pleasure and warmth. Perhaps abit to sentimental for this day and age, but man this dude talks in a way that remind one of going home for christmas after a long exam period. go wes
What a great compliment - I wish i'd seen this five years ago when it was posted! If I'm too sentimental for this day and age, maybe the problem is with the day and age, lol.
@@wjcallihan Well you've seen it now ;) and spot on, maybe the problem is with the times we live in ;) Peace, Gus from England ;)
A wonderful collection of Classical literature. Truly a scholar's working library. Thanks for sharing.
This man was oozing with passion, God bless him.
Great library and good guy. He didn't swallow everything the modern world has served him.
Amen to that!
-Daniel
What do you mean?
Yes I want you to elaborate on that.
LeandroBRC47 I’m assuming modern morals like don’t read if you do don’t read for pleasure read so you can feel superior and brag (got that from screwtape) also history revision one school is teaching that Abraham was a Democrat and it was the republican who succeed the evidence behind it is that Republicans are racist.
There’s also identity standing out which this man does. He’s humble reads to better himself and because he wants too very odd values and traits
What on Earth are you talking about?
Of all the videos I've watched on personal libraries...this one is by far the best. It may be old school, but its distinguished and its absolutely authentic. Bravo, sir, for your exquisite taste and collection!!!
Such passion united with erudition and love of learning is a rare thing. Wes is a remarkable teacher, unconstrained by temporal politics and superficial trends in education and the larger society. Very refreshing! Thank you, Wes.
What a beautiful arrangement. Thanks for this.
best home library i've seen so far. Indeed, organizing your books in which era they came from is an excellent idea. Maybe i'll do the same once I have more books!
Carlo Clores I would like to acquire his mental Syntopicon regarding his medieval collection. I also wonder if he has his library on Library Thing.
A man with a personal library like that: May you live to be a thousand years old, sir!
"It pales in comparison to the libraries of some of my friends." The day I can say that is the day I've won at life lol
For real!
@@spinecollector9931 Btw Islamic Civilization has products as much and deep as Western Civilization
@---- hahhah, arr ye Muslim, friend? Other than Muslims, I wouldn't think someone who thinx like that would exist.
@@Dave.Mustaine.Is.Genius They really aren't that separate honestly. Most Islamic scholarship was based heavily on Aristotle. The Western World actually got Aristotle BACK from Islam after they were lost. We actually went quite a while without what is one of the major keystones of Western thought. It's kind of crazy.
I'm as interested in Islamic Culture as to Western and African Culture. 😩@@Dave.Mustaine.Is.Genius
This has inspired me to start my own library.
I wish I could have a library like that... Wow! Greeks and Romans.
You can. Even if not in physical form, digitally. Ancient works are free to read online.
Never, ever, ever! Start collecting 2nd hand books now and by the time you're 40 you will have a sizable collection. Only get what you're interested in, don't get books to "seem clever", I have about 50 of those, out of 1,000 that's not bad but they take up space. Real books cannot be replaced by technology, period!
Yes peasy
A fine library and a thoughtful tour. I'd like to talk to him about revelation as a reliable epistemology, but, nevertheless, I will admire his books and passion for them. Well done.
This guy is a real man… a man that searches for knowledge that makes you a man
Your lecture on the Middle Ages was inspiring. Also I would really enjoy learning about the early saints. I was expecting a secular library tour this was way more interesting. Thank you.
Thanks for the video and walk thtough history. As a theologian and eternal learner, I appreciate you taking us through it; especially, its impact on what we are today. I am in the process of re-doing my home library; I had not considered your approach, but will do now. Thanks.
Thank you. There is a great kinship among men and women who feel about books as this man does.
"The digital experience verges on the gnostic." (about 16:00)
That was nicely put.
i agree. I loved that comment.
Monty Thibault
It doesn’t make any sense.
Monty Thibault Gnosticism is the idea that faith is more personal and not tied to a common scripture. Hence a digital book, which doesn’t really exist, only in someone’s head, is gnostic. Non-gnostic faith is rooted in scripture, written physical books universal to everyone. A physical book can exist independent of the person reading it, will still be there after they’re gone. I guess the comparison is that Christianity is true regardless of whether any one person believes it. It’s a truth potentially available to everyone in the same way a physical book is.
@@Uppernorwood976 very well explained, nice
@@williams.5952 No, I just didn't explain myself very well. I was simply referring to that aspect of gnosticism that rejects the value of the material, physical world. So the emphasis in digital books on "just the content", as though the bodies of books with their colors, heft, smell, and textures, mean nothing, is sort of gnostic.
I love how if he has a question about what a word means in a book, he opens another book to find the meaning..... most people would bust out google.....He is truly a smart man
Excellent video. Love the collection, especially the emphasis on the Church Fathers.
Happy to meet you Sir. This is the best part of technology for me, to come across such fine things as highly educated polymaths.
I first watched this library tour years ago and it's as enjoyable now as it was then. I hope you are well Wes and still teaching. If this is a taste, you do it so well 👍🏾
He still teaches, though he has slowed his pace.
And his lectures are preserved through oldwesternculture.com !
This is why I hesitated to purchase my Kindle. I did anyway, however physical bks are more widely held by me. ☺
I'm the same. I have a Kindle but much prefer (and still buy more of) hard copies. :-)
@@BoganBrett great
This guy is so fucking well spoken, I could listen to him speak for hours. Love how intelligent he is too.
You can listen to all 192 lectures spanning the great books: oldwesternculture.com
Fantastic collection. You are so knowledgeable! Fantastic to see someone who really enjoys and understand books.
I am not a believer, but still found it wonderfully interesting to hear this man talking about his books and the many connections between them. I wish there many more such presentations on YT where people talk about what they really love and understand on a deep level. I love all those shabby cloth covers and the complete absence of Tolkien and Harry Potter.
He's a fantastic personal guide with good musings on books and book collecting.
Amazing video! I really like to watch these kinds of videos of people who not only collect, but read all the books in their collection.
This video will live rent free in my memory...
This is the best library tour I’ve ever watched…I love this so much ❤❤❤ absolutely inspiring!
NOW THATS A BOOK COLLECTION! GOD BLESS TAKE CARE
That's neat that you have three shelves of Homer.
"De Anima" is my favourite work of Aristotle. I recommend it, if you're interested in a metaphysical meets spirituality, theme of writing style.
Interesting approach to shelving one's books! I have a similar system for filing my recordings, especially LPs (which are less chaotically placed than CDs and audiocassettes). Within large categories, say, ballet music, I shelve the music by date of composer's birth. Miscellaneous recordings of ballet segments (e.g. "Great Moments of Ballet") I sheve in alphabetical order by conductor. And so it goes. Works for me!
I wish I could have been a learned man. To have a passion for books and being able to make a living at it is priceless.
A true classically educated man.
One day …. one day I’ll tackle Virgil’s Aeneid.
Brilliant commentary! These are the kind of videos that remind me of how little I know and how much I have yet to learn!
I learned so much from this video. Thank you for showing your awesome collection and sharing some of your learnings.
I'M IMPRESSED!!!! Wes Callihan is a truly well-read scholar if ever there were one!! I'm also jealous in that he has such a vast private library!! Thank God for literacy and for marvelous people like Wes!! :-)
An erudite, rich, and fascinating tour! Many thanks!
His Library is much like mine. I like this guy!
I find this video very relaxing, it always lifts up my mood.
Mine too
They should do one for the Islamic Civilization too
I find this very soothing.
My God, your language alignment method is brilliant! I'm going to steal--I mean, ADOPT it for my own library!
And it's interesting. It would never have occurred to me to collect multiple translations of works. I always went for the most accurate translations because it offended me to read an inferior or biased translation but now I'll give it some thought once I can afford the space and storage issue.
What a lovely video! Thank you.
Thank you so much for this video. You and I share tastes in literature. I have read most of these books and continue to digest them. All you need is a copy of the Domesday Book and the Gutenberg Bible. Imagine what was lost at the Library of Alexandria.
The loss of the Library of Alexandria pains me!!
Werner Jaeger's Paideia trilogy. Very, very cool. What an inspiring read!
Your comments about the look, color and feel of your books is endearing. The Chinese have a similer sensuality. In Mandarin it's called: "SHU XIANG" the perfume of books.
That is really neat about the Mandarin word for the perfume of books!
Are you familiar with our recent publication, "Redeeming the Six Arts"? It is about Chinese classical education, and specifically how Christian classical education in China ought to honor their own tradition vs embracing solely the Western texts as they are often tempted to do.
Nice collection, thanks for the tips on how to appreciate and relate to the changing of time.
Hi Wes, thank you for the fascinating tour of your library. I’ve been thinking of Classical education for my daughter & your work really inspires me.
Jack, that's great! Check out the curriculum we have here: www.romanroadsmedia.com/old-western-culture/
What a fun walk through history! 📚
There are few videos on TH-cam that I keep returning to. This is one of them. It has been nearly 10 years since this video has been released and is easily the most popular video on your TH-cam channel.
I would be lovely to get a 10 year update. I suspect 99% of the library will have remained the same but some questions that come to mind are:
- How has Mr Callihan's Library changed in the past 10 years?
- The most signficant finding that Mr Callihan has discovered from his books in the last 10 years.
- What is Mr Callihan most looking forward to reading or re-reading in the next 10 years?
A magnificent selection
I appreciate his perspective on great books (and the shortcomings of The Britannica Great Books). Although I am an atheist and personally inclined towards ancient authors and their Enlightenment intellectual offspring, I am curious about the Middle Ages and willing to read their thoughts with a generous mind.
Anyway, as a lover of books and the culture of the mind, I salute you. May your spines remain flexible and your pages crisp.
Thank you for your kind comments! Best wishes to you.
What a beautiful collection
I love Paideia In the Polis!!!! This is my first time seeing a video of someone with all 3 volumes!
Great collection!
I went to my brother's house that was recently renovated to include mostly hues of white and ivory. He and his wife had about 50 books in their personal library, but they had the spines of the books facing away from the room and not visible. My mom later told me this is a decorating tip to keep the room looking white and pure, and I was horrified.
ARGH!!! Pure white? ARGH!!!
Beautiful collection of works, the colors of the bindings in particular work together immensely well in creating a vibrant effect.
Even as a deist I can appreciate that the works of the Middle Ages and "church literature" are vastly underrated genre.
Wes, this is amazing. What would be neat is for those of us who have NEVER read the classics for you to make a starter list of the top books to read. Maybe a beginner, intermediate, and advanced list so we can progress. Thanks
Start from antique China and greeks. And slowly progress to Islamic civilization. Then to Romans... etc etc
The Old Western Culture series he mentions goes through a 4 year high school curriculum of Greeks, Romans, Medieval-Elizabethan, then onward to the early modern. So read Homer, Hesiod, Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides, Herodotus, Thucydides, Plato, and Aristotle first.
Greatest novel of all time=war and peace. Glad to see it up there😁
archerce Nah Anna Karenina > War and Peace...and Anna Karenina isn’t even the GOAT.
@@justtosuffer398 Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevski is better than both.
Great library! Thanks for show it us!
Priceless books of immense value
Wonderful collection. I do have such a personal library but not of such a size. I do enjoy the way he is enjoying.
Most of the books that survived the fall of Rome and the dark ages , Roman and Greek classics survived in one small church in Spain . If our world collapsed and this little personal library was saved you would to a great extent would have much of western history still. I like this gentleman without even meeting him fine fellow
This is the most insperational video i’ve ever seen and it’s my dream to have a home library like this.
It takes a lifetime.
I love both poetry and philosophy.
Inspiring. I also have my history shelves (with biographies) in chronological order.
A friend who holds a PhD in history of the catholic church recently commented that "The Dark Ages" also is a case of protestants slandering the times before the protestant churches were there; it was dark, because there was only the catholic church (or "the church") there.
Thanks for the answer to the question " wow, have you read all these books?". I can now answer..."nooooooo, because.....".
This was absolutely fascinating!!
Beautiful library. I don't read much currently but I will be reading a lot of books in the future. You have encouraged me to start building my collection of good books/works.
Did you?
Thanks for the tour! Beautiful library!
🤤 I will have a library like this one day. Right now my books just line my small house like insulation. I just stick them wherever I think they will be safe and take them out when we go over them in our school.
I am here once again, thanks to Autumn Kern's The Common Place video on How to Organize Your Library (Like a Christian) | Mother Culture Series | Classical Charlotte Mason.
Wonderfull, divine library. I loved it. I have one, too. Congratulations.
What a library.
It’s great to see a serious and eclectic collection. Booktube is usually abysmal.
His comments beginning at 9:58 on the “Top Shelf Book Set of Great Books” ( Mortimer Adler etc) are very revealing. Pointing out that the Dark Ages were equated with the Christian Age and suggesting what appears to be an attitude that is influenced deeply by Enlightenment thinking namely - Christianity results in Darkness! This is not dissimilar to the biased thinking of several strident atheists like Hitchens, Dawkins, Harris and others who, influenced by scientism and relativism, also equate Christianity (religion in general) with darkness.. Thanks for the observation Wes Callihan!
Would love a list of what’s in his library!
Here is a good starting place!
These are the books he teachers through in Old Western Culture:
romanroadspress.com/2017/11/owc-reading-list/
Wonderful. Its great and worthy of admiration. I liked your love for books. Please accept my hearty facilitations for the collection and maintenance in so much systematic way. With regards and affection from India. Aum shanti.
Watching the video for a second time. Very entertaining and informative.
I get most of my books at the discount sales at my local Libraries. I'm sort of a book hipster.
Ah, your Plutarch! I've got a copy of that same 2-volume Sir Thomas North reprint. What a find that was! I found it at a second-hand store, maybe a decade ago, and paid merely $6 or $8 for it, and it's in quite exquisite shape. (Now, to sometime actually buckle down, finally, and really try to dig into reading it one of these days!)
I thoroughly enjoyed this 🙏 Undoubtedly informative and inspiring ❤ Thank you for sharing!
Beautiful library. Who wouldn't want a teacher like Wes. A godly and literate man with a passion for learning and teaching. A dying breed. Which translations of Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy were they I wonder? And what system of reading would Wes propose? I love to read but we are so spoiled by choice it almost becomes unbearable. The sheer weight of history and ideas and thought. Where does one start? And how long do you spend reading a book. Do you study or read for pleasure? Thanks! Great content.
Start by learning languages and do try to read books in their original languages as much as possible. Sanskrit, Chinese, Persian, Arabic, Greek, Latin and German are a good start. When ye go into a field, first do read a general history of that field. Then go into it's classics. If ye diye directly into classics without first reading that intellectual area's history, ye wouldn't understand much
Amazing library, Wes, but Shakespeare called and left a message: "What am I, chopped liver?"
Do say this because he did not mention Shakespeare? Because he certainly has Shakespeare's complete works on one of the shelves shown in this video, it happens to be the same version I have, and I could easily identify the set.
@@DoubleRuination ...my mistake, I didn't notice the books. I was just listening to what he said. It seemed like he skipped over The Bard. I'll have to watch it again.
He makes a little mistake when he says that Augustine lived around 1400. It was more like 400. But his point his valid. The U. of Chicago set skips almost the entire Middle Ages. Shouldn't do that! After all, how are we going to find out how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
@@richardarmstrongcopy and most of all, please do not skp Islamic literature too :))
Very interesting and inspiring. I recently retired and I am challenged to bring my office library home. Shelving is certainly a challenge to overcome. I organize my library similarly to how you organize yours. Thank you for sharing.
Nice private library. You can never have too much Homer. There is a stronger weight to christian writings than I enjoy. But very nice. I do appreciate Adler's Great Books collection. I have a copy and gave a set to my son, a UChicago Classics major. I found ours at our local library's weekly used book sales. Adler a University of Chicago professor
has some fun books and interviews on books, reading and education. He's on TH-cam.
Thank you for your comments! All the best to you and your son.
You forget the Carolingian era (mid 9th to the end of the 10th centuries). Very powerful theologically. Gottschalk of Orbais, Ratramnus of Corbie, Florus of Lyon, Paschasius Radbertus, and etc. This leads up to Anselm's Cur Deus Homo?
Albert the Great or Albertus Magnus taught Aquinas and both were influenced by Avicenna (Ibn Sinna) and Averroes (Ibn Rushd-the great Muslim commentator on Aristotle).
I agree with all those, and I actually have all of them in my library, but I didn't have time to talk about everything on my shelves - though I wish I could! :)
This man in a good man
Great to see your collection of books and how you organized by historical sequence.
Wonderful to see this. Thank You.
Great tour!
Totally fascinating and interesting and Wes is spot on when he connects all things in the universe to the handiwork of God. Wes, is extremely vibrant and really breathes life into his chosen subject. a On a lighter note, Love the comment about Erasmus. Who said that when he got some money he purchased books and if he had anything left he purchased clothes and food. Erasmus got his priorities spot on from those who love their books!
Personally, I struggle to connect the abject suffering of 2 year-old children diagnosed with cancer, having barely left the hospital before returning there to die, with anything other than cosmic abandonment and a creator entity that differs immensely from any self-centred human attempt at characterisation.
How do you know he is spot on? How do you know that this "God" exists? What makes this deity the true one, and the thousands of others worshiped by humans false?
@@entiretinofsweetcorn7025 this is *precisely* the struggle in part of Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov, part of the great books canon, and another reason to read the classics. Because there is no problem we ponder, however terrible in its consequences, that hasn't been pondered in the great books. That doesn't always mean they have the right answers, but they help us struggle better with the issues. The issue you raise - how there be a God who is good and also all-powerful when there is such horrible evil in the world? - is one of, if the THE, hardest one there is.
If you were to choose 5 books to fill in the 800 year gap in the middle ages of The Great Books Of The Western World, what would they be?
I bought Thomas More's Utopia worth 15 Pesos. :-D
Booksale!
I enjoyed listening. Didn’t even double speed it.