A Tour of Callihan's Personal Library

Wesley Callihan gives a tour of his personal library, located at his home in Potlatch, Idaho.
This tour also doubles as a mini-lecture on a philosophy of the "Great Books." Wes explains why his collection is different than that of Adler's Great Books set (University of Chicago Press).
Learn more about Old Western Culture curriculum, a guide through the great books!
www.romanroadsmedia.com/old-we...
Wes Callihan organizes his library chronologically by time period, in part so that he can brush his fingers through the "leaves of time." Enjoy this tour!
NOTE: Callihan mentions that Augustine lived in 1400, but meant to say 400.
#GreatBooks #ClassicalEd #OldWesternCulture

[@hanninhahfp]

This guy is the type of men I would like to have as a teacher. He seems nice, but still a good teacher, nice voice and pleasant face. Idk

[@romanroads]

Hannah Paskin You can! Go to RomanRoadsMedia.com - you can learn from him through the Old Western Culture series, or even through live online classes! :)

[@romanroads]

Hannah Paskin We're even having our once-per-year big sale RIGHT NOW (until August 17th)

[@hanninhahfp]

Roman Roads Media Really? Awesome :D

[@fabianlang424]

Ü

[@ohyeahyeah1711]

Hannah Paskin you only talk, it’s hard to become one. Try becoming one yourself you fool

[@andromeda2503]

I’m still in high school, so this collection and Callihan’s knowledge on history, philosophy, and literature is inspiring. I’m still on my journey, the slow and slightly terrifying journey, of cultivating my knowledge; even if I was able to obtain half of his collection and intellect, I would be content.

[@miguelconfesor4701]

he is a type of man who really reads his books. not just collecting books for decoration.

[@havok9001]

for me i collecting some books from few authors to read for my down time when im not on the computer gaming or watching video or watching tv, i just sit on the bed & read a book also relax

[@roncollinsmm]

Oh yes, I need to borrow a leaf

[@jonesuniversity3104]

Yes I'm always quite impressed by people who have a lot of books and who have also read them

[@user-vz7mu4su9n]

I can't describe how much I would love to have a collection like this.

[@saassas5879]

If heaven was just living in this room for eternity I think I'd be okay with that

[@coffeemachtspass]

A good cup of coffee, a comfortable chair, and a beautiful book waiting to be admired. What could be better?

[@entelektuel.yolculuk]

@@coffeemachtspass ooh.... And add to that a beautiful, lovely and sincere wife. .... Oofff.... Perfection indeed.... Do sports 3x a week, man, btw. And don't forget nature walks and cold showers.

[@folksurvival]

@@coffeemachtspass The same but without the coffee would be better.

[@Howeyable]

funny how a certain type of person instantly evokes a sense of pleasure and warmth. Perhaps abit to sentimental for this day and age, but man this dude talks in a way that remind one of going home for christmas after a long exam period. go wes

[@wjcallihan]

What a great compliment - I wish i'd seen this five years ago when it was posted! If I'm too sentimental for this day and age, maybe the problem is with the day and age, lol.

[@augustineriley5582]

@@wjcallihan Well you've seen it now ;) and spot on, maybe the problem is with the times we live in ;) Peace, Gus from England ;)

[@souljahminusbeatsdeb]

Great library and good guy. He didn't swallow everything the modern world has served him.

[@romanroads]

Amen to that! -Daniel

[@leandroisaac2000]

What do you mean?

[@Captain-Sum.Ting-Wong]

Yes I want you to elaborate on that.

[@IsraelLuisGeerRivera-ff4cg]

LeandroBRC47 I’m assuming modern morals like don’t read if you do don’t read for pleasure read so you can feel superior and brag (got that from screwtape) also history revision one school is teaching that Abraham was a Democrat and it was the republican who succeed the evidence behind it is that Republicans are racist. There’s also identity standing out which this man does. He’s humble reads to better himself and because he wants too very odd values and traits

[@williams.5952]

What on Earth are you talking about?

[@littleredflying-fox]

A wonderful collection of Classical literature. Truly a scholar's working library. Thanks for sharing.

[@daimao7392]

This man was oozing with passion, God bless him.

[@DanialAhmer263]

This guy is so fucking well spoken, I could listen to him speak for hours. Love how intelligent he is too.

[@romanroads]

You can listen to all 192 lectures spanning the great books: oldwesternculture.com

[@mikewhitney8615]

Such passion united with erudition and love of learning is a rare thing. Wes is a remarkable teacher, unconstrained by temporal politics and superficial trends in education and the larger society. Very refreshing! Thank you, Wes.

[@stefangebhard7074]

Of all the videos I've watched on personal libraries...this one is by far the best. It may be old school, but its distinguished and its absolutely authentic. Bravo, sir, for your exquisite taste and collection!!!

[@shethewriter]

"It pales in comparison to the libraries of some of my friends." The day I can say that is the day I've won at life lol

[@spinecollector9931]

For real!

[@entelektuel.yolculuk]

@@spinecollector9931 Btw Islamic Civilization has products as much and deep as Western Civilization

[@entelektuel.yolculuk]

@---- hahhah, arr ye Muslim, friend? Other than Muslims, I wouldn't think someone who thinx like that would exist.

[@89Dustdevil]

@@entelektuel.yolculuk They really aren't that separate honestly. Most Islamic scholarship was based heavily on Aristotle. The Western World actually got Aristotle BACK from Islam after they were lost. We actually went quite a while without what is one of the major keystones of Western thought. It's kind of crazy.

[@kurtfrancis4621]

A man with a personal library like that: May you live to be a thousand years old, sir!

[@sameepkhanal9499]

What a beautiful arrangement. Thanks for this.

[@gracecamia5040]

I wish I could have a library like that... Wow! Greeks and Romans.

[@knpstrr]

You can. Even if not in physical form, digitally. Ancient works are free to read online.

[@bobbysands9071]

Never, ever, ever! Start collecting 2nd hand books now and by the time you're 40 you will have a sizable collection. Only get what you're interested in, don't get books to "seem clever", I have about 50 of those, out of 1,000 that's not bad but they take up space. Real books cannot be replaced by technology, period!

[@robertferguson5562]

Yes peasy

[@Divergent_Integral]

I've collected about 1000 books (good, interesting, substantial books) on an absolute shoestring budget, mainly disability checks. If I can do it, so can everyone else who has the basics like food and shelter covered.

[@DynmcStudio]

best home library i've seen so far. Indeed, organizing your books in which era they came from is an excellent idea. Maybe i'll do the same once I have more books!

[@BlueGiant69202]

Carlo Clores I would like to acquire his mental Syntopicon regarding his medieval collection. I also wonder if he has his library on Library Thing.

[@ChristisGOD1611]

Your lecture on the Middle Ages was inspiring. Also I would really enjoy learning about the early saints. I was expecting a secular library tour this was way more interesting. Thank you.

[@KayamaTakeru]

"The digital experience verges on the gnostic." (about 16:00) That was nicely put.

[@rodneyleon3645]

i agree. I loved that comment.

[@williams.5952]

Monty Thibault It doesn’t make any sense.

[@Uppernorwood976]

Monty Thibault Gnosticism is the idea that faith is more personal and not tied to a common scripture. Hence a digital book, which doesn’t really exist, only in someone’s head, is gnostic. Non-gnostic faith is rooted in scripture, written physical books universal to everyone. A physical book can exist independent of the person reading it, will still be there after they’re gone. I guess the comparison is that Christianity is true regardless of whether any one person believes it. It’s a truth potentially available to everyone in the same way a physical book is.

[@Kylemathews1]

@@Uppernorwood976 very well explained, nice

[@wjcallihan]

@@williams.5952 No, I just didn't explain myself very well. I was simply referring to that aspect of gnosticism that rejects the value of the material, physical world. So the emphasis in digital books on "just the content", as though the bodies of books with their colors, heft, smell, and textures, mean nothing, is sort of gnostic.

[@angeloguevara]

Thanks for the video and walk thtough history. As a theologian and eternal learner, I appreciate you taking us through it; especially, its impact on what we are today. I am in the process of re-doing my home library; I had not considered your approach, but will do now. Thanks.

[@RhinestoneDjango]

A fine library and a thoughtful tour. I'd like to talk to him about revelation as a reliable epistemology, but, nevertheless, I will admire his books and passion for them. Well done.

[@historical_lisa315]

Thank you. There is a great kinship among men and women who feel about books as this man does.

[@isabellabeckett-smith1473]

This is the best library tour I’ve ever watched…I love this so much ❤❤❤ absolutely inspiring!

[@EastLancsJohn]

I first watched this library tour years ago and it's as enjoyable now as it was then. I hope you are well Wes and still teaching. If this is a taste, you do it so well 👍🏾

[@romanroads]

He still teaches, though he has slowed his pace. And his lectures are preserved through oldwesternculture.com !

[@FJMLAM]

Fantastic collection. You are so knowledgeable! Fantastic to see someone who really enjoys and understand books.

[@MT_FIN]

Amazing video! I really like to watch these kinds of videos of people who not only collect, but read all the books in their collection.

[@primus7776]

Wonderful to see this. Thank You.

[@carlasman288]

Beautiful collection of works, the colors of the bindings in particular work together immensely well in creating a vibrant effect. Even as a deist I can appreciate that the works of the Middle Ages and "church literature" are vastly underrated genre.

[@bigphilly7345]

Excellent video. Love the collection, especially the emphasis on the Church Fathers.

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

An erudite, rich, and fascinating tour! Many thanks!

[@shaolin89]

Thanks for the tour! Beautiful library!

[@margarethope4541]

What a fun walk through history! 📚

[@JesusSaviour4ALL]

This was absolutely fascinating!!

[@bunnygirlerika9489]

I have seen this video multiple times and still enjoy it

[@australianbricklayer1752]

Happy to meet you Sir. This is the best part of technology for me, to come across such fine things as highly educated polymaths.

[@machman23]

Nice collection, thanks for the tips on how to appreciate and relate to the changing of time.

[@christophebonhoefferofbelg9846]

Hi Wes, thank you for the fascinating tour of your library. I’ve been thinking of Classical education for my daughter & your work really inspires me.

[@romanroads]

Jack, that's great! Check out the curriculum we have here: www.romanroadsmedia.com/old-western-culture/

[@calebkleinhans3668]

Brilliant commentary! These are the kind of videos that remind me of how little I know and how much I have yet to learn!

[@israeldiez1848]

Great library! Thanks for show it us!

[@colleenlever976]

Priceless books of immense value

[@itstoaoagain]

I find this very soothing.

[@joeboerson2415]

NOW THATS A BOOK COLLECTION! GOD BLESS TAKE CARE

[@Yesica1993]

What, no Hunger Games or Twilight? (Just kidding!) Man, I'd put a sleeping bag in that room and never leave.

[@acajudi100]

Yesica1993 Visually impaired, so audio books work for me now.

[@nothingbutart7473]

acajudi100 oh I’m sorry, that must suck, audiobooks just are not the same for me.

[@entelektuel.yolculuk]

@@acajudi100 audios are never replicas of real, physical books which have pages that are leaves of the history, as Wes Callihan said in this video

[@josephmedina6403]

Any copies of cloudy with a chance of meatballs ? Jk 🤣

[@drizer4real]

I find this video very relaxing, it always lifts up my mood.

[@entelektuel.yolculuk]

Mine too

[@entelektuel.yolculuk]

They should do one for the Islamic Civilization too

[@CristinaDias7]

What a lovely video! Thank you.

[@orglancs]

I am not a believer, but still found it wonderfully interesting to hear this man talking about his books and the many connections between them. I wish there many more such presentations on YT where people talk about what they really love and understand on a deep level. I love all those shabby cloth covers and the complete absence of Tolkien and Harry Potter.

[@braydenshanley7435]

A magnificent selection

[@amosjulien2539]

He's a fantastic personal guide with good musings on books and book collecting.

[@WizzleCraft]

I learned so much from this video. Thank you for showing your awesome collection and sharing some of your learnings.

[@34missgreen]

I thoroughly enjoyed this 🙏 Undoubtedly informative and inspiring ❤ Thank you for sharing!

[@madarchermoto4955]

I love how if he has a question about what a word means in a book, he opens another book to find the meaning..... most people would bust out google.....He is truly a smart man

[@hansvriend4327]

Love this video! God bless.

[@glenm5034]

Great to see your collection of books and how you organized by historical sequence.

[@APLachel]

Watching the video for a second time. Very entertaining and informative.

[@pheebelikes3500]

Beautiful library. I don't read much currently but I will be reading a lot of books in the future. You have encouraged me to start building my collection of good books/works.

[@folksurvival]

Did you?

[@TikiFoamy38]

His Library is much like mine. I like this guy!

[@wordscaninspire114]

Most informative timeline thank you

[@hopeeeeeee8]

amazing library!

[@pinedelgado4743]

I'M IMPRESSED!!!! Wes Callihan is a truly well-read scholar if ever there were one!! I'm also jealous in that he has such a vast private library!! Thank God for literacy and for marvelous people like Wes!! :-)

[@dylanfreeland4756]

I love both poetry and philosophy.

[@gbantock]

Interesting approach to shelving one's books! I have a similar system for filing my recordings, especially LPs (which are less chaotically placed than CDs and audiocassettes). Within large categories, say, ballet music, I shelve the music by date of composer's birth. Miscellaneous recordings of ballet segments (e.g. "Great Moments of Ballet") I sheve in alphabetical order by conductor. And so it goes. Works for me!

[@sukhdevsohal5172]

Wonderful collection. I do have such a personal library but not of such a size. I do enjoy the way he is enjoying.

[@luisdiego22002]

What a beautiful collection

[@Theomite]

My God, your language alignment method is brilliant! I'm going to steal--I mean, ADOPT it for my own library! And it's interesting. It would never have occurred to me to collect multiple translations of works. I always went for the most accurate translations because it offended me to read an inferior or biased translation but now I'll give it some thought once I can afford the space and storage issue.

[@RobNoonanic]

Beautiful library :)

[@jodown5584]

Werner Jaeger's Paideia trilogy. Very, very cool. What an inspiring read!

[@pabloalvez915]

This is amazing!

[@eclecticreader961]

That's neat that you have three shelves of Homer. "De Anima" is my favourite work of Aristotle. I recommend it, if you're interested in a metaphysical meets spirituality, theme of writing style.

[@sergioalves5278]

Wonderfull, divine library. I loved it. I have one, too. Congratulations.

[@embeth6148]

I love Paideia In the Polis!!!! This is my first time seeing a video of someone with all 3 volumes!

[@capturedbyannamarie]

Loved this

[@djengo77]

Ah, your Plutarch! I've got a copy of that same 2-volume Sir Thomas North reprint. What a find that was! I found it at a second-hand store, maybe a decade ago, and paid merely $6 or $8 for it, and it's in quite exquisite shape. (Now, to sometime actually buckle down, finally, and really try to dig into reading it one of these days!)

[@vivoyeur]

This is why I hesitated to purchase my Kindle. I did anyway, however physical bks are more widely held by me. ☺

[@Frenposter]

I'm the same. I have a Kindle but much prefer (and still buy more of) hard copies. :-)

[@entelektuel.yolculuk]

@@Frenposter great

[@Nellis202]

I wish I could have been a learned man. To have a passion for books and being able to make a living at it is priceless. A true classically educated man. One day …. one day I’ll tackle Virgil’s Aeneid.

[@YourHousekeepingCompanion]

Inspiring. I also have my history shelves (with biographies) in chronological order.

[@vozamaraktv-art5595]

This video will live rent free in my memory...

[@nikichimoto]

Amazing

[@vesnastihovic7014]

Excellent! ❤

[@irfanbashir9453]

thanks a lot... i wished you introduced books too... we know very little of these books. still a million thanks

[@veritehunter2191]

This has inspired me to start my own library.

[@archerce]

Greatest novel of all time=war and peace. Glad to see it up there😁

[@justtosuffer398]

archerce Nah Anna Karenina > War and Peace...and Anna Karenina isn’t even the GOAT.

[@noname3609]

@@justtosuffer398 Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevski is better than both.

[@ancientseamonster9499]

@@justtosuffer398 Dostoevsky considered Karenina his greatest novel. But that's because he considered war and peace as an epic masterpiece cut from a different cloth. An less as a novel.

[@MrToolmaker23]

Thank you so much for this video. You and I share tastes in literature. I have read most of these books and continue to digest them. All you need is a copy of the Domesday Book and the Gutenberg Bible. Imagine what was lost at the Library of Alexandria.

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

The loss of the Library of Alexandria pains me!!

[@kumardeobrat5946]

Wonderful. Its great and worthy of admiration. I liked your love for books. Please accept my hearty facilitations for the collection and maintenance in so much systematic way. With regards and affection from India. Aum shanti.

[@TawsifEC]

Awesome!

[@perperson199]

Wonderful

[@marchume7432]

Your comments about the look, color and feel of your books is endearing. The Chinese have a similer sensuality. In Mandarin it's called: "SHU XIANG" the perfume of books.

[@romanroads]

That is really neat about the Mandarin word for the perfume of books! Are you familiar with our recent publication, "Redeeming the Six Arts"? It is about Chinese classical education, and specifically how Christian classical education in China ought to honor their own tradition vs embracing solely the Western texts as they are often tempted to do.

[@savanahbustle3361]

🤤 I will have a library like this one day. Right now my books just line my small house like insulation. I just stick them wherever I think they will be safe and take them out when we go over them in our school.

[@kristianmatzy2929]

This is the most insperational video i’ve ever seen and it’s my dream to have a home library like this.

[@SteelheadTed]

It takes a lifetime.

[@raker1980]

Wes, this is amazing. What would be neat is for those of us who have NEVER read the classics for you to make a starter list of the top books to read. Maybe a beginner, intermediate, and advanced list so we can progress. Thanks

[@entelektuel.yolculuk]

Start from antique China and greeks. And slowly progress to Islamic civilization. Then to Romans... etc etc

[@LollygaggingRabbit]

The Old Western Culture series he mentions goes through a 4 year high school curriculum of Greeks, Romans, Medieval-Elizabethan, then onward to the early modern. So read Homer, Hesiod, Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides, Herodotus, Thucydides, Plato, and Aristotle first.

[@bearsagainstevil]

Most of the books that survived the fall of Rome and the dark ages , Roman and Greek classics survived in one small church in Spain . If our world collapsed and this little personal library was saved you would to a great extent would have much of western history still. I like this gentleman without even meeting him fine fellow

[@dantecualesjr.906]

What a library.

[@lucius1553]

awesome

[@Oasix21]

Great tour!

[@coffeemachtspass]

I appreciate his perspective on great books (and the shortcomings of The Britannica Great Books). Although I am an atheist and personally inclined towards ancient authors and their Enlightenment intellectual offspring, I am curious about the Middle Ages and willing to read their thoughts with a generous mind. Anyway, as a lover of books and the culture of the mind, I salute you. May your spines remain flexible and your pages crisp.

[@wjcallihan]

Thank you for your kind comments! Best wishes to you.

[@KonradNeuwirth]

A friend who holds a PhD in history of the catholic church recently commented that "The Dark Ages" also is a case of protestants slandering the times before the protestant churches were there; it was dark, because there was only the catholic church (or "the church") there.

[@donnhall9800]

Very interesting and inspiring. I recently retired and I am challenged to bring my office library home. Shelving is certainly a challenge to overcome. I organize my library similarly to how you organize yours. Thank you for sharing.

[@dereksamueldani7336]

I love your collection of books. Libraries are for posterity. We are building up a small library .

[@scottmdavis652]

I'm glad someone studies and collects these valuable books. You wouldn't believe what my small personal library consists of. Not garbage such as Hunger Games nor some such. Robert Heinlein, Stewart Brand, film, childhood, other science fiction. You get the idea.

[@blakehanson4683]

Really good stuff 👌

[@lw1343]

Thanks for the answer to the question " wow, have you read all these books?". I can now answer..."nooooooo, because.....".

[@LizGnagy]

Great collection! I went to my brother's house that was recently renovated to include mostly hues of white and ivory. He and his wife had about 50 books in their personal library, but they had the spines of the books facing away from the room and not visible. My mom later told me this is a decorating tip to keep the room looking white and pure, and I was horrified.

[@kurtfrancis4621]

ARGH!!! Pure white? ARGH!!!