From the Introduction: The library, a hall of learning and hoarded knowledge. The building itself is a relatively new construction, built from brick for the better part. Only the floors are plated in patterned marble to provide a contrast to the bricks of the walls and the reddish polished hardwood of the shelves. Sturdy desks for researchers are arranged along the outside wall to take advantage of the light falling in through the massive crystal glass windows. But as the library is usually open at any day or nighttime wall mounted glow orbs provide steady illumination throughout the library. Heavy brass plaques indicate to which field of knowledge the book of a particular shelf belong and wheeled stepladders allow the librarians to access the higher shelves. The books themselves are oversized heavy leather bound affairs with brass inlays in their backs. They are more often than not heavy enough that the junior clerks attending the researchers will usually fetch and return them only one at a time. At all times the tables of the researchers and the corridors between the shelves will be monitored by a junior clerk or even an armed senior librarian to ensure the books are well treated and that no one lights any open fires. After all the roughly two thousand tomes of this small section of the library alone are worth a fortune or two.