Postcard from Hearst Castle

Here I was, in this magnificent library in Hearst Castle, surrounded by over 4,000 books…and I couldn’t find anything to read. Thank God I had my Kindle with me. Just kidding (as if you didn’t know). Somehow I can’t image William Randolph Hearst using a Kindle if he were alive today.

Regardless, Hearst build this incredible library for himself and his guests. Unlike the private Gothic study, where only few guests were allowed, this room was open to anyone. Sadly, only part of the library is pictured here. In fact, it is 80 feet long…and the ceilings…WOW!

Besides the books, many of them quite rare, the library also contained one of Hearst’s most treasured collections: 150 ancient Greek vases, all over 2,000 years old. You can see one of them on the table on the right. Most of the others line the walls above the bookshelves. Some are visible in this photo (click the photo to enlarge it). Because of the current laws regarding antiquities, it would be impossible to amass such a collection today (well, legally anyway). 

With a room such as this, one would never consider taking any physical exercise here…well a normal person anyway. However in his autobiography, Harpo Marx talks about doing somersaults in here with Marion Davies, Hearst’s long time paramour. Now, that would have been worth seeing.

Flash photography is forbidden anywhere inside the castle, so thank God my Nikon is equipped with an anti-shake lens or I would have never captured this image. But I think I prefer this natural light rather than artificial lighting. It gives the room a more natural warm feeling, perfect for a library.

I wish I wasn’t on a tour so I could spend hours in here wandering around, looking at the books and vases at my leisure. Much better than wandering around a Barnes and Noble.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com

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