Last week, I took a tour of the Phoenix Art Museum’s library, which is open to the public and full of wonders. One of those is The Astaire Library of Costume and Fashion. This small room within the art library houses an assortment of books on such topics as fashion, etiquette and art, which were collected in memory of Ann Astaire (mother of Fred Astaire) by her good friend Sybil Harrington. There are pictures of Ann and Fred interspersed with the books, as well as a beautiful lacquered chair; the chair was one that Ann often sat in while observing her children’s dance lessons. 

During my visit I took some quick snaps of a few book titles that made me smile. The book about Scottish tartans was the librarian’s favorite, and it is a very wee book, topping in at maybe 4.5 inches at most, and full of colored plates illustration tartan patterns.