Discover the Future
Living Museum of the Book
The Living Museum of the Book will be a major cultural institution in Los Angeles,
a place to celebrate and explore the importance of physical books in our lives.
With robust programming, fascinating exhibits, plus an enormous and adventurous nonprofit bookstore,
it will be an essential destination for book lovers.
Books Matter
Browsing through actual books gives us the chance to encounter unexpected ideas, information, and perspectives. When we touch physical books, we are immediately linked to the history, spirit and context from which they emerged.
However, physical books are diminishing from our lives. Without them, we won’t know if we are reading versions that are true to their original form. And without access to a deep and wide selection of physical books, our electronic “choices” may be determined by algorithms, rather than choosing for ourselves.
At a time when so much of our information is presented on screens, it is critical that we recognize that reading from the printed page has distinct benefits to our brains. Recent neuroscience shows that reading a hard-copy book not only helps optimize intellectual engagement, but it also builds important neurological pathways in our brains.
The Living Museum of the Book will keep physical books alive, relevant and accessible, while engaging and delighting visitors young and old.
Our Evolution
For over two decades, founder Tony Jacobs has been operating one of Los Angeles' biggest used bookstores, SideShow Books, creating a diverse community of people, books, and conversations.
While charting the ongoing decline of brick & mortar bookstores and noting the excitement and serendipity experienced by his hundreds of thousands of customers, a visionary idea was born—the need for a great cultural institution to serve as a temple to the book, to preserve and to promote the importance of books in our lives and in history.
That vision is now becoming reality. Foundational work has been undertaken. Consulting with non-profit managers, museum founders, architects, design experts, historians, researchers, educators and fundraisers, we have created an engaged base of supporters to launch the project. Join us!