Karl Bitter, who had charge of much of the sculptural work for Biltmore, designed the fireplace with its enormous carved wooden figures of Philosophy and Health. With the help of many artisans and workers, he built a palace within a palace to hold his beloved book collection. George Washington Vanderbilt III (1862-1914) oversaw the construction of this personal library.

Eventually, prodded by a companion or by the ticking of the clock, the enchanted readers depart, casting a last glance over the shoulder as if to carry that magical room with them through the rest of the tour and out the door. From their still, enamored faces, you can see they long to run their fingers along the spines of the ten thousand books on these shelves, pull out one of the volumes bound in Moroccan leather, and sit near the sculpted fireplace on this chilly winter’s afternoon, a cup of cocoa or a glass of wine at their elbow, reading and listening to a crackling fire. From Giovanni Antonio Pelligrini’s magnificent “The Chariots of Aurora” on the ceiling down to the polished floor and Persian rugs, the library casts its spell over the readers in the crowd. Watch for the ones who freeze in their tracks, and who then stand dumbstruck and enthralled by the room on the other side of the barrier. Simply stand near the library at the Biltmore House and observe the queue of visitors passing by. You don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to identify the booklovers at the Biltmore Estate. An ornate spiral staircase in the library of the Biltmore House twists up to the wraparound balcony sporting additional bookshelves and a hidden passageway to several bedrooms, permitting guests to slip from their rooms in their nightclothes and pluck a book from the library shelves.

Ex Libris, A Ghost Story by T.R. Warden