Soane over the course of his career built up an extensive library of 7,783 volumes, this is still housed in the library he designed in his home, now a museum, of 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields.
The library covers a wide range of subjects: Greek and Roman classics, poetry, painting, sculpture, history, music, drama, philosophy, grammars, topographical works, encyclopaedias, runs of journals and contemporary novels.

Naturally architectural books account for a large part of the library, and were very important when he came to write his lectures for the Royal Academy.
The main architectural books include: several editions of Vitruvius's De architectura, including Latin, English, French and Italian editions, including the commentary on the work by Daniele Barbaro.
Julien-David Le Roy's Les Ruines des plus beaux monuments de la Grèce, Johann Joachim Winckelmann's Geschichte der Kunst des Alterthums, in its French translation bought in 1806 just before Soane was appointed to the professorship.
Also Marc-Antoine Laugier's Essai sur l'Architecture, and Jacques-François Blondel's nine volumes of Cours d'architecture ou traité de la décoration, distribution et constructions des bâtiments contenant les leçons données en 1750, et les années suivantes.

Soane also acquired several illuminated manuscripts: a 13th-century English Vulgate Bible; a 15th-century Flemish copy of Josephus's works; four books of hours, two Flemish of the 15th century and early 16th century, Dutch of the late 15th century and French 15th century; a French missal dated 1482; Le Livre des Cordonniers de Caen, French 15th century; and Marino Grimani's commentary of the Epistle of St Paul to the Romans, the work of Giulio Clovio.

Other manuscripts include: Francesco di Giorgio's mid-16th century Treatise of Architecture; Nicholas Stone's two account books covering 1631–42, and his son also Nicholas Stone's sketch book (France and Italy) 1648 and Henry Stone's sketch book 1638; Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne's The Second Epistle; James Gibbs's A few short cursory remarks on buildings in Rome; Joshua Reynolds's two sketch books from Rome; and Torquato Tasso's early manuscript of Gerusalemme Liberata.

Incunabula in the library include: Cristoforo Landino's Commentario sopra la Comedia di Dante, 1481; S. Brant Stultifera Navis, 1488; and Boethius's De Philosophico Consolatu, 1501.
Other early printed books include: J.W. von Cube, Ortus Saniatis, 1517, and Portiforium seu Breviarum ad Sarisbursis ecclesiae usum, 1555; and William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories and Tragedies of 1623, the First Folio.
Soane over the course of his career built up an extensive library of 7,783 volumes, this is still housed in the library he designed in his home, now a museum, of 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields. The library covers a wide range of subjects: Greek and Roman classics, poetry, painting, sculpture, history, music, drama, philosophy, grammars, topographical works, encyclopaedias, runs of journals and contemporary novels.
Naturally architectural books account for a large part of the library, and were very important when he came to write his lectures for the Royal Academy. The main architectural books include: several editions of Vitruvius's De architectura, including Latin, English, French and Italian editions, including the commentary on the work by Daniele Barbaro. Julien-David Le Roy's Les Ruines des plus beaux monuments de la Grèce, Johann Joachim Winckelmann's Geschichte der Kunst des Alterthums, in its French translation bought in 1806 just before Soane was appointed to the professorship. Also Marc-Antoine Laugier's Essai sur l'Architecture, and Jacques-François Blondel's nine volumes of Cours d'architecture ou traité de la décoration, distribution et constructions des bâtiments contenant les leçons données en 1750, et les années suivantes.
Soane also acquired several illuminated manuscripts: a 13th-century English Vulgate Bible; a 15th-century Flemish copy of Josephus's works; four books of hours, two Flemish of the 15th century and early 16th century, Dutch of the late 15th century and French 15th century; a French missal dated 1482; Le Livre des Cordonniers de Caen, French 15th century; and Marino Grimani's commentary of the Epistle of St Paul to the Romans, the work of Giulio Clovio.
Other manuscripts include: Francesco di Giorgio's mid-16th century Treatise of Architecture; Nicholas Stone's two account books covering 1631–42, and his son also Nicholas Stone's sketch book (France and Italy) 1648 and Henry Stone's sketch book 1638; Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne's The Second Epistle; James Gibbs's A few short cursory remarks on buildings in Rome; Joshua Reynolds's two sketch books from Rome; and Torquato Tasso's early manuscript of Gerusalemme Liberata.
Incunabula in the library include: Cristoforo Landino's Commentario sopra la Comedia di Dante, 1481; S. Brant Stultifera Navis, 1488; and Boethius's De Philosophico Consolatu, 1501. Other early printed books include: J.W. von Cube, Ortus Saniatis, 1517, and Portiforium seu Breviarum ad Sarisbursis ecclesiae usum, 1555; and William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories and Tragedies of 1623, the First Folio.
John Soane