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Originally Posted by DMcCunney
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That would beat any experience of mine for what bookstores are concerned: that would mean that The Strand hosts a whopping 1'500'000 books, one million and a half.
EDIT: but in the video after Dennis' link Fred Bass states that the actual collection is of 2-and-a-half to 3 million books... That video makes me speechless ('impressed' does not really come close).
To get the initial figure (miles-to-books computation): a look at my personal library shows a nice average of 50 books per linear meter or 80 per thousandth of mile, varying from around 20 to around 80 per meter (30 to 130 in mi/1000).
For comparison, and using the different, protected reality of libraries, the Sormani in Milan (not an attic) should contain around 650'000 volumes, but the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale in Florence triple-doubles that to over 5'500'000; the Library of Congress in Washington almost 25'000'000 catalogued books; the British Library in London 14'000'000, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France again 14'000'000 (while the total number of collected items besides books may vary - up to the order of 200mil for Washington and London).
I could move. EDIT: or at least, travel and shake hands with Ms. Bass.