Isabella Stewart Gardner as Book Collector and Reader

Isabella Stewart Gardner became a collector of books before she became a collector of art. Her Museum is both a library and an art museum. Beyond Words: Italian Renaissance Books explores both the concept of the Italian Renaissance library, as well as Gardner as reader and book collector. In a letter to Harvard professor Charles Eliot Norton, Gardner referred to books as "a most fascinating and dangerous pursuit." Want more? Follow us on Twitter or Facebook @gardnermuseum or visit our website at http://www.gardnermuseum.org/