HÔTEL de L’ALPAGE houses an extensive collection of books, personally selected by the hotel’s owner, Hirosuke Tobe.
The collection covers genres such as architecture, interior design, art, gardens, and cuisine, and can be found in guest rooms, the library bar, and other public areas.
In this article, we would like to introduce a selection of these books for our guests to enjoy during their stay.
In the reception room, the shelves are lined with volumes on Farrow&Ball, the renowned British paint manufacturer whose colors are used on the hotel’s walls, alongside books on French furniture and interior design.
The Farrow&Ball books served as a major source of inspiration for the owner when deciding on the hotel’s atmosphere, interiors, and wall colors. They explain in detail the many subtle variations of white and neutral tones, how to combine colors, recommended pairings, and how to achieve balance in an interior palette. They also highlight how the perception of color changes depending on natural light, noting differences between north-facing and south-facing rooms.
This warmth and harmony of color and light, which bring the interiors to life, can be fully appreciated during a stay at our hotel.
On the same shelves, a book exploring the many varieties of marble is also present. An appropriate choice, as the reception fireplace is crafted from richly colored marble.
Another notable volume is the photographic book Une Maison, et des foulards (“A House, and Scarves”), featuring both images and text by the owner himself. Simply by observing the photographs, the texture of the scarves and the way their rich colors harmonize with the elegant interiors conveys a sense of “refined everyday life.”
In the Winter Garden, the low table at its center displays a selection of Japanese magazines featuring articles about the hotel, international interior design magazines, and books on French cuisine. Guests can also browse cookbooks and magazines acquired by the late Chef Keiji Azuma, the hotel’s first culinary director. Bathed in the warm sunlight streaming through the ceiling, the Winter Garden offers an inviting space to enjoy leisurely reading.
The space with the hotel’s largest collection of books is the library bar, Le Rêve. As the only area decorated in a dark, subdued palette, it offers a calm and intimate atmosphere where guests can fully immerse themselves in reading.
L’ART ROMAN (Romanesque Art) is one of the books stored in the library. Romanesque art refers to the architectural and artistic style that flourished in Europe from the late 10th to the 12th century, characterized by thick stone walls, rounded arches, and a sense of solidity. This large-format volume focuses on a small region in southern Burgundy and holds value both as a resource for art history and as a visual delight, featuring beautifully printed photographs created using traditional techniques.
Several books stored in the library bar were specially bound by a Parisian workshop specializing in reliure (bookbinding). These large-format volumes were originally published with loose pages, requiring each page to be sewn together. This format allows the purchaser to customize the binding according to personal preference. For the books in the library bar, the hotel owner selected the leather colors for the spines and the decorative papers for the covers. The meticulous sewing and choice of leather and paper highlight the beauty of each volume.
In earlier times, books were typically sold in provisional bindings: loosely stitched with simple covers, allowing collectors to commission bindings in leathers and papers of their preference, sometimes finished with gilded edges. Ex libris plates (bookplates) also emerged from this tradition. Such craftsmanship is why reliure is regarded as an art form, and why finely bound books once stood as symbols of pride in a household library.
To illustrate, an A5-sized book would be printed as sixteen pages on a large sheet, eight on each side, and then folded three times and sewn together.
Unlike today, books were sold with the folds still uncut, and readers would use a paper knife to slice open each page. This explains why some antiquarian books still have unopened pages or slightly jagged edges, bearing witness to this once-common practice.
Among the specially bound volumes is a fascinating large-format work titled Vieilles enseignes de Paris en fer forgé (1925). In old Paris, shop signs were often crafted from wrought iron, some projecting into the street, others set above entranceways. This volume presents a series of prints capturing these signs, combining intricate design with period shop names, providing an inexhaustible source of interest.
An authentic wrought-iron sign of this kind can be found in our hotel, at the entrance to the wine cellar. Displayed is the sign of an 18th-century Parisian wine shop, Tour d’Or (Golden Tower), a playful counterpart to Tour d’Argent (“Silver Tower”).
Wrought iron can also be found throughout the hotel in more familiar forms. For example, to the left of the main entrance, the gate leading to the garden is crafted from wrought iron and adorned with birds, evoking a doorway to paradise and mirroring motifs that can be found in the large table on the second-floor corridor and the Persian rug beneath it. The guest room balconies and spiral staircase railings are also made using this traditional technique, with each iron rod hammered, bent, and shaped by hand to create a distinctive texture and classic design.
The hotel’s book collection is designed as much for viewing as for reading. Most volumes are large-format foreign publications, filled with photographs, illustrations, and artwork, allowing all guests to enjoy them. Some titles explore highly specialized subjects, from English gardens and 18th-century French furniture to frescoes and Baroque architecture, captivating those with particular interests. The books are displayed without strict order or categorization, inviting guests to wander through the shelves and discover favorite volumes along the way.
In October, when autumn arrives in the Tateshina Highlands, HOTEL de L’ALPAGE’s library bar Le Rêve will offer a traditional French afternoon tea, Goûter de L’Alpage, allowing guests to celebrate the flavors of the season while surrounded by a carefully curated collection of books.
For more information about Goûter de L’Alpage, click here.
For more information about the library bar Le Rêve, click here.
