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Louis I. Kahn Reference Guide: The Design of the Library: External Resources

External Resources

Barford, George. Understanding Modern Architecture. Worcester, MA:
     Davis Publications, Inc., 1986 (p. 120).

          A brief description and one photograph of the Library.

Bednar, Michael J. The New Atrium. New York: McGraw-Hill,
     1986 (pp. 172-173).

          A discussion of the atrium of the Library and its relation to the building
          as a whole. Illustrations, plans, section.

Brown, Jack Perry. Louis I. Kahn: a Bibliography. New York: Garland, 1987. 
          Writings by and about Louis Kahn, arranged chronologically.

Campbell, James W. P. "Louis Kahn, Phillips Exeter Library (1969-71) and What the 
      Brick W
ants To Be." Brick: a World History. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2003 
      (pp. 278-281).
   
                 
           A two page description of the library with a number of color photographs
           of the exterior.

Close, Gloria W. "The Library of Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New
     Hampshire, 1967-1972." Louis I. Kahn Bibliography. Architectural Series:
     Bibliography A-190.  Monticello, IL: Vance Bibliographies, 1980 (p. 10).

          An extensive bibliography of all sources by and about Kahn, with a section on
          specific works. The section on the Library is a selective listing of journal articles
          which includes some non-English language articles.

Drexler, Arthur. "Louis Kahn." In Transformations in Modern Architecture.
     New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1979 (pp. 102-105)
.
          Includes a short discussion of the Library and dining hall, "compositions of
          great refinement using the simplest means...."

Futagawa, Yukio, and Romaldo Giurgola. Indian Institute of Management,
     Ahmedabad, India, 1963-, Exeter Library, Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter,
     New Hampshire, U.S.A., 1972
. Edited and photographed by Yukio Futagawa;

     text by Romaldo Giurgola. Tokyo: A.D.A. Edita Tokyo, 1975 (GA Global
     Architecture, 35).

          A brief description and evaluation of the building, with fine photographs and
          plans. In Japanese and English.

Gast, Klaus-Peter. "Phillips Exeter Library and Dining Hall,  Exeter,
     New Hampshire, 1965-1971." In Louis I. Kahn. Boston: Birkhauser Verlag, 1999
     (pp. 132-139). 

          Brief descriptions, with photographs and plans. Text in English/German.

Gast, Klaus-Peter. "Phillips Exeter Academy Library 1965-71,  Exeter,
     New Hampshire, USA." In Louis I. Kahn: The Idea of Order. 
     Boston: Birkhauser Verlag, 1998 (pp. 80-87). 

          Essay on the library design, with photographs and plans.

Gast, Klaus-Peter. "Library and Dining Hall Phillips Exeter Academy Exeter,
     New Hampshire, USA 1965-71." In Louis I. Kahn: Das Gestamtwerk=
     Complete Works. Munchen: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 2001 (pp. 160-169).

            
Essay on the library design, with photographs and plans. Text in
            English/German.

Giurgola, Romaldo, and Jaimini Mehta. "Library and Dining Hall, Phillips
     Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire, 1967-1972." In Louis I. Kahn.
     Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1975 (pp. 90-93).

          Chiefly illustrations and diagrams with brief descriptions.

Hawkes, Dean. The Environmental Imagination. London and New York: 
      Routledge, 2008 (pp. 95-96; 106-107).

            
A description of the Library and its place in the tradition of library architecture.


Huxtable, Ada Louise. "Louis Kahn: Exeter Library." In Kicked a Building Lately?
     New York: Quadrangle/New York Times Book Co., 1976 (pp. 95-98).

          This essay is a slightly condensed version of the news story in The New York
          Times, 23 October 1972, pp.23-24.

Jordy, William H. Symbolic Essence and Other Writings on Modern Architecture...
     New Haven/London: Yale University Press, 2005 (pp. 254-260).

          A description of the Library with the central hall described as an 
          "extravagant emptiness."

Kahn, Louis I. The Louis I. Kahn Archive: Personal Drawings: the Completely
     Illustrated Catalogue of the Drawings in the Louis I. Kahn Collection, University
     of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Historical Society and Museum
     Commission
Vol 4. New York: Garland, 1987 (pp. 382-453).

          Kahn's drawings and sketches for the Academy Library.

Kahn, Louis I. What Will Be Has Always Been: the Words of Louis I. Kahn.
     Ed. Richard S. Wurman. New York: Access Press and Rizzoli, 1986
     (pp. 178-183).

 
         Comments on the Library by Kahn, reprinted from various other sources.

"Kahn, Louis I." The Britannica Encyclopedia of American Art. Chicago:
     Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corp., 1973 (pp. 315-316)
.
          A brief mention which includes the phrase "a monumental piece of 'jewelry'
          architecture. . ."

"Kahn, Louis I." Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects. Vol 2. New York: Free
     Press, 1982 (pp. 537-546).

          Discusses the Library as an example of Kahn's treatment of the corners of
          buildings.

Kohane, Peter. "Louis I. Kahn's Search for Form: Public and Private Realms in the
     Washington University and Phillips Exeter Academy Libraries."
     In Kahn Libraries=Kahn Bibliotecas. Barcelona: Publicacinos del Col.Legi
     d'Arquitectes de Catalunya, 1989 (pp. 72-131).

           A study of the unbuilt library project for Washington University of 1956, 
          and Phillips Exeter Academy library. Text in English and Spanish.

Levine, Neil. "The Aesthetic of the Unfinished and the Example of Louis Kahn."
     In Modern Architecture: Representation & Reality.
     
New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2009 (pp. 243-278). 
 
         
          Part of the chapter contains a description of the library, a building
          "caught in a state of arrested devlopment." With color photographs and plans. 
         
"Library and Dining Hall, Philip (sic) Exeter Academy, Exeter, New
     Hampshire / 1967-72." In Louis I. Kahn. Tokyo: Architecture and Urbanism,
     1975 (pp. 142-161, 238).

          Excellent color photographs only (taken after display cases were added).
          Text in Japanese and English.

"Library, Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire, U.S.A., 1967-72."
     In Louis I. Kahn: Conception and Meaning. Tokyo: Architecture and Urbanism,
     1983 (pp. 158-171).

          Plans, section, color photographs; brief text in Japanese and English.

Lobell, John. "Library, Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire,
     1967-72." In Between Silence and Light: Spirit in the Architecture Of Louis
     I. Kahn
. Boulder, CO: Shambhala, 1979 (pp. 100-105).

          A brief text on the design with photographs and diagrams.

"Louis I. Kahn, architect, 1901-1974." Compiled by Jack Perry Brown.
     Louis Kahn and Paul Zucker: Two Bibliographies. The American Association
     of Architectural Bibliographers: Papers, vol. XII. Ed. Frederick D. Nichols.
     New York: Garland, 1978.

          Bibliography of books and journal articles by and about Kahn, arranged
          chronologically.

Lym, Glenn Robert. A Psychology of Building: How We Shape and Experience
     Our Structured Spaces
. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1980 (pp. 82-93).

          An analysis of the use of the space in the Phillips Exeter Academy Library,
          primarily through interviews with 18 students. Isometric plan, photographs,
          seating diagrams.

McCarter, Robert. "Library and Dining Hall, Phillips Exeter Academy,
     Exeter, New Hampshire 1965-1972." In Louis I. Kahn. London: Phaidon, 2003.
     
(pp. 304-325).
          A description of the Academy Library and the Dining Hall.
          Includes plans, photographs. Further references to the library
          appear on other pages.

Mee, Charles L., Jr. "Louis Kahn." In Three Centuries of Notable American 
     Architects
, Ed. Joseph J. Thorndike, Jr. New York: American Heritage

     Publishing Co., Inc., 1981 (pp. 280-299).
          An overview of Kahn's career. On the Library, ". . . a feeling of mystery
          and power that makes it one of Kahn's greatest works."

Roca, Miguel Angel. "La Biblioteca de Exeter: El Santuario de la Memoria." In 
     Arquetipos y Modernidad I: Louis Kahn. Buenos Aires: Coleccion Summarios,
     1984 (pp. 17-26.)
          Includes plans, section and photographs.

Ronner, Heinz, Sharad Jhaveri, and Alessandro Vaselle. "Phillips Exeter 
     Library, Exeter, N.H. 1967-72." In Louis I. Kahn Complete Works,
     1935-74
. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1977 (pp. 365-372).

          Floor plans, drawings, elevations, photographs of models, with captions
          and running text of quotations by Kahn.

Rosa, Joseph. "Louis I. Kahn, 1901-1974: Enlightened Space." Koln; London: 
     Taschen, c2006 (pp. 74-78).
          A two page desrciption of the library, with photgraphs and plan.

Rouda, Mitchell B. "Kahn, Louis I(sadore)." In Contemporary Architects, Ed. 
     Muriel Emanuel. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1980 (pp. 409-412).
          A chronological biography followed by a list of works and a comprehensive
          bibliography of work by Kahn, books on Kahn, and an essay about his work
          which includes mention of the Library.

Shannon, Carl Dommerich. Learning From Louis Kahn: a Study of the Phillips
      Exeter Academy Library and the Mellon Center for British Art at Yale.
   
      A.B. honors thesis, Harvard University, 1987.  

          A study of two of Kahn's major works, from "theoretical development"
          to analysis and interpretation of the completed buildings.

Smith, Charles R. Paul Rudolph and Louis Kahn: a Bibliography,
     
Metuchen, N.J., The Scarecrow Press, 1987 (pp. 165-167).
          
          A thorough bibliography of writings about Kahn and his work, arranged by
          project.

Smith, G.E. Kidder. "The Phillips Exeter Academy Library (1969-71)." In 
     The Architecture of the United States. Vol. 1. Garden City, NY: Anchor
     Press/Doubleday, 1981 (pp. 341-343).
          A general description and evaluation of the building.

Tyng, Alexandra. Beginnings: Louis I. Kahn's Philosophy of Architecture.
     New York: Wiley, 1984 (pp. 51-52).
          Plan, section and photographs of the Library accompany a brief description.

Vivoni-Farage, Enrique. A Measure of Silence: Louis I. Kahn and the 
     Transformation of the Wall
. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms, 1985

     (pp. 131-145). Ph.D. dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1985. 
          The plan of the Library is discussed as a case study of Kahn's approach;
          includes illustrations and plans.

Wiggins, Glenn E. Louis I. Kahn: the Library at Phillips Exeter Academy.
     
New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, c1997.

           Good photographs and drawings; includes a CD-ROM with a virtual tour
           of the Library.

Wiseman, Carter. Louis I. Kahn: Beyond Time and Style: A Life in
     Architecture
. New York: W. W. Norton, 2007 (pp. 180-205).

          The Library is discussed in chapter seven, "A Temple for Learning,"
          which contains photographs and a cross-section of the final design.

Wright, Sylvia Hart. "Phillips Exeter Academy Library; Exeter, N.H., 1972." 
     In Highlights of Recent American Architecture: A Guide to Contemporary
     Architects and Their Leading Works Completed 1945-1978
. Metuchen, NJ:

     The Scarecrow Press, 1982 (p. 66).
          A short description of the Library: notes by managers, engineers, contractor.

First Principles. Washington, D.C.: International Masonry Institute, 1974.
     Videocassette. 
          Historian Vincent Scully explains the history of load bearing design
          from ancient Rome to present-day Bangladesh, India, and America
          in an artistic continuum from the Emperor Hadrian to the American
          architect Louis Kahn.

          The examples of Kahn buildings used are the government center at
          Dacca, the Indian Institute of Management at Ahmedabad, and the
          Library at Phillips Exeter Academy.

Louis I. Kahn. London: World Microfilms Publications, 1988. Slides.
          A set of 68 color slides of Kahn's works from 1953 to 1972, taken by Tadeusz
          Barucki; numbers 57-68 are of the Academy Library and dining hall.

Louis I. Kahn: An Offering to Architecture. Los Angeles: Museum of
     Contemporary Art, 1992. Videocassette.
          Presents Louis Kahn's mature work. Narration provided by the voice of  
          Kahn, using excerpts from audio recordings of talks he gave around the
          world.

Louis I. Kahn, Architect. New York: Museum at Large, 1972. 16mm film.
          Shows a number of buildings designed by the architect Louis I. Kahn,
          including the Library at Phillips Exeter Academy.

Louis I. Kahn: In the Realm of Architecture. Los Angeles: Museum of 
     Contemporary Art, 1991. Videocassette.
          Vincent Scully describes Kahn's life and work; includes Kahn himself
          discussing some aspects of his architectural philosophy.

Louis I. Kahn: Three Buildings. Los Angeles: Museum of Contemporary 
     Art, 1991. Videocassette.
          Vincent Scully discusses the Library and two other Kahn works.

Louis Kahn: Silence and Light. New York: Michael Blackwood Productions, 
     2001. Videocassette.
          Louis Kahn talks about his work; other architects comment on him
          and his architecture, which is seen as transcending trend and style,
          and which focuses on light and timeless qualities.
         

Exeter Library - Louis I. Kahn - Great Buildings Online. 1997-2004.
     Great Buildings Online Collection Photographs. 
            3-D model. Short bibliography.

Phillips Exeter Academy Project PageUniversity of Pennsylvania.
     The Louis I. Kahn Collection. The Architectural Archives of the
     University of Pennsylvania.

Archivision. Archivision.
          Educational image resource for architecture and design. Slides and
          digital files available for a fee.

My Architect web site. 2003. Louis Kahn Project Inc.
          Web site for My Architect: A Son's Journey, the film made by Nathaniel
          Kahn about his father's life and work. Site includes a video showing some

          of Kahn's work, still photos, and other material about the film.

Ameri, Amir H. "On the Logic of Encampment." Issues in Architecture, Art
       and D
esign vol. 4, no. 2 (1995): 118-152.

          Explores the link between formal and spatial properties of libraries as a 
          building type from the Middle Ages to the present. The Academy Library is
          featured in the article. A copy of the article can be found on the author's website
          http://ahameri.com/cv/ under Research & Publication.

Andreotti, Libero. "Conceptual and Artifactual Research Programmes in Louis 
     I. Kahn's Design of the Phillips Exeter Academy Library (1966-72)." Design
     Studies
 July 1984: 159-165.

          Discusses the evolution of Kahn's design for the Library in theoretical terms.
          Plans, sections, drawings.

Armstrong, Rodney. "New Look Library at Phillips Exeter Academy." 
     Library Scene 2 (Summer 1973): 23-25.

          Written by the Librarian after a year's occupation of the Library, this article
          describes the concepts considered in the planning and how they were
          realized in the design. The cover has a color photograph of the building.

Betsky, Aaron. "Heart vs. Head: In architecture we trust, all others bring data."
      
Architect (February 2011): 68.

          Is architecture art or science?

"Bibliothèque de l'Academie Exeter à Exeter, New Hampshire." Louis I. Kahn 
     Oeuvres 1963-1969. Architecture d'Aujourd'hui, No. 142: 70-73.

          Brief text, photographs of models and plans.

Campbell, Robert. "Grand, But Less Than Great." Boston Sunday Globe 
     25 November 1973: A5. 

          Architecture review; "a work of enormous individuality and strength."

Clark, Roger H., Michael Pause, and twenty students of the School of 
     Design. "Analysis of Precedent: an Investigation of Elements,
     Relationships, and Ordering Ideas in the Work of Eight Architects."
     The Student Publication of the School of Design, North Carolina
     State University at Raleigh, 1979.

          Compares elements of various works, including the Academy Library,
          by eight architects. Diagrams.

Comstock, Paul. "An Interview with Louis Kahn Biographer Carter Wiseman."
     California Literary Review 30 April 2007. Found online at

     http://calitreview.com/224
          Carter Wiseman talks about Louis Kahn's life and his architecture.

Dameron, Charles S. "A Monument to the Life of the Mind." 
     Wall Street Journal, 6 August, 2011: C13. Print.
          A tribute to the Library in celebration of its 40th year.

Gorlin, Alexander C. "Biblical Imagery in the Work of Louis I. Kahn: from 
     Noah's Ark to the Temple of Solomon." A&U: Architecture and Urbanism
     176 (May 1985): 83-92.
          "The highly charged mythical imagery of Exerter (sic) leads ultimately to
          the Temple of Solomon through its American Masonic interpretations."

Hennessy, Richard. "Prototype and Progeny: Some Recent Monumental 
     Architecture." Artforum 17 (November 1978): 68-74.
          The building is described as a work in which ". . . function, unit of design
          and unit of construction are totally harmonized." The use of brick and the
          importance of the facades are discussed briefly, the author maintaining
          that Kahn was ". . . rethinking the logic of brick construction." There are
          photographs, with one of the Kahn-designed dining hall mislabeled "Library."

Hughes, Robert. "Brick is Stingy, Concrete is Generous." Horizon 16 (Autumn 
     1974): 30-45.
          A general article about Kahn's work and philosophy; contains a brief
          description of the Library and several photographs.

Huxtable, Ada Louise. "New Exeter Library: Stunning Paean to Books." 
     The New York Times 23 October 1972: 33-34.
          Description and evaluation of the building. "A serene, distinguished
          structure of considerable beauty...."

Jordy, William H. "Criticism: Kimball Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas/ 
     Library, Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire." The
     Architectural Review
 155 (June 1974): 330-335.

          Discussion of the two buildings, which were completed almost
          simultaneously. Plans, models, illustrations.

"Kahn a Doppio Guscio." L'Architettura: Chroniche e Storia xviii,
     (gennaio 1973): 615.

          Brief article with illustration and plan.

"Kahn: Phillips Exeter; Library Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, 
     New Hampshire." The Architectural Review 155 (June 1974):
     336-342.

          Description, plans and elevations, photographs.

Kay, Jane Holtz. "Architecture." The Nation 30 March 1974: 413-414.
          Discusses the architecture of the Library and its relation to the
          rest of the campus.

Kohane, Peter. "Louis I. Kahn and the Library: Genesis and Expression
     of  'Form.'" Via 10 (1990): 99-131.

          Essay on Kahn's thoughts about libraries, and the design of the
          Academy Library in particular. Illustrations, plans.

LeCuyer, Annette. "Evaluation: Kahn's Powerful Presence at Exeter." 
     Architecture 74 (February 1985): 74-79.
          The Library and dining hall are described in terms of their functioning
          in the Exeter setting; ". . . a timeless vision — at once classical and
          contemporary — of institutions that form the very foundation of human
          culture." Photographs, plan.

"Louis Kahn: Biblioteca della Phillips Exeter Academy ad Exeter, 
     Inghilterra" (sic). L'Architettura: Chroniche e Storia xx. n. 5 (settembre
     1974): 325-327. 
          Brief article accompanied by photographs, plans, section.

Marlin, William. "Within the Folds of Construction." The Architectural Forum 
     139 (October 1973): 26-35.
          Discussion on the theme: "Louis Kahn's work at Exeter Academy
          evinces an on-going search for the essential elements of architecture."
          Photographs.

Mattern, Shannon. "Geometries of Reading, Light of Learning: Louis I. Kahn's
      Library at Phillips Exeter." Nexus Network Journal 
12, 3 (2010): 389-420.
          Examines how the geometric forms of the library shape patrons'
          relationships to media in the collection.

"The Mind of Louis Kahn." The Architectural Forum 137 (July/August
     1972): 76-77.
          After a brief description there is a statement by Kahn about his
          intent and thinking behind the design of the Library. Photographs,
          plan, elevation.

Novitski, B. J. "In Search of Louis Kahn." Architecture Week 17 Dec.
     2003: C1.
          A review of the film My Architect.

Petrilli, Amedeo. "Exeter Academy di Louis Kahn/The Phillips Exeter Library by 
     Louis Kahn." 
Spazio E Societa/Space & Society 18, 76 (Oct-Dec 1996): 68-71.
          Kahn's words on the Phillips Exeter Library from What Will Be Has 
          Always Been: the Words of Louis I. Kahn (Ed. Richard Saul Wurman.
          New York: Rizzoli International Publications, 1990.) 
          Printed in English and Italian. Photographs, plans.

"Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, N.H.: Louis I. Kahn - Philadelphia."
     New England Architect July/August 1972: 21-24.

          Describes the planning and finished details of the building. Illustrated
          with photographs and plans.

Richards, William, "Razing the Exeter Dining Hall: Pros and Kahns."
     Future Anterior, Vol 1, issue 2, Fall 2004: 50-57.

          Considers the significance of Kahn's Elm Street dining hall at Phillips Exeter 
          Academy which was completed in 1972 along with Kahn's library.

Russell, James S., "The Richness of Louis Kahn's Library Stands the Test of
      Time." Architectural Record, May 1997: 94-96.

          The Academy Library wins the prestigious 25-year award of the
          American Institute of Architects. Photographs.

Shenker, Israel. "Kahn Defines Aim of Exeter Design." The New York
     Times
 23 October 1972: 40.

          An interview with the architect who speaks of his principles of architecture,
          the Library and other buildings.

Wickersham, Jay. "The Making of Exeter Library." Harvard Architecture 
     Review
 7 (1989): 138-149.

          A thorough article on the design and construction of the Library by an
          alumnus of the Academy. Illustrations, plans, sections.

Wiseman, Carter. "Stern vs Kahn in Preppieland." The New Criterion 10
     (March 1992): 62-4.

          A comparison of the architecture of two libraries; St Paul's School, Concord, NH
          and Phillips Exeter Academy, with PEA library being described favorably as
          a "timeless masterpiece."