“With learning and grace, Andrew Hui conducts readers on a virtual tour of sites of reading, from St. Jerome’s wilderness retreat to the sumptuous libraries of Renaissance princes, from Montaigne’s tower to Prospero’s island. Spanning many centuries and cultures, this book about the real and imagined places of splendid scholarly solitude will delight all who love books and who long for a room of their own in which to read them.”—Lorraine Daston, author of Rules: A Short History of What We Live By“This marvel of a book virtuosically interweaves text and images to tell the story of a magical, mysterious place: the studiolo. From Petrarch to Montaigne, and through to the great mythical figures of Don Quixote, Faust, and Prospero, Andrew Hui recreates the entire universe of humanism and the Renaissance before our eyes with vertiginous erudition. Imbued with verve, humor, and sensitivity, The Study is worthy of a place in every library.”—William Marx, Collège de France“Whether Hui is taking us to the Ambrosiana in Milan or reading Cervantes in Singapore, his voice shines through in this learned and luminous book about books. At once playful and direct, erudite and curious, this monumental work of scholarship is also a gift of friendship.”—Julia Reinhard Lupton, author of Shakespeare Dwelling: Designs for the Theater of Life“Andrew Hui has given us a jewel of a book that traces our timeless bond with that magical space that mirrors both the reader and the stormy world beyond the page.”—Alberto Manguel, author of A History of Reading