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All the United States California Big Sur The Henry Miller Memorial Library

The Henry Miller Memorial Library

It's not your typical library, memorial, or book store.

Big Sur, California

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Kristi Zaragoza
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29 Jan 2022   shaunk82 / Atlas Obscura User
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Henry Miller wrote "One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." Perhaps that is the idea with Big Sur, not so much a destination but a new way of looking at things.

"It is not a Library where you can borrow books, it is not a memorial with dusty relics, it is not a fully stocked bookstore, it is not a trinket store where you’ll find a large selection of glossy photographs of the coast, t-shirts, mugs and baseball caps. It is not Henry Miller’s old home... So if it’s none of those things, what is it?" -From the Henry Miller Site.

The Henry Miller Memorial Library is in fact a Big Sur art hub and book store focused on promoting the literary and artistic works of Henry Miller. Miller was not just a fiction writer but also wrote some excellent travel books, particularly about Greece. The library was founded a year after Miller's death by close friend Emil White, who decided to maintain his property as a memorial to his friend and as a gallery for local artists. Over the years it has also come to serve as a cultural experience for both visitors and residents alike.

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Libraries Monuments

Know Before You Go

When you're traveling up or down Highway 1, the library will be located a quarter mile south of Nepenthe Restaurant, (a quarter mile north of Deetjen's and Big Sur Inn) in a redwood grove on the mountain side of the road.

Community Contributors

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theamarant

Edited By

jddarcy, Edward Denny, shaunk82, pcatrillo

  • jddarcy
  • Edward Denny
  • shaunk82
  • pcatrillo

Published

June 18, 2009

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  • http://www.henrymiller.org/
The Henry Miller Memorial Library
Highway One
Big Sur, California, 93920
United States
36.220422, -121.761637
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Nearby Places

Nepenthe

Big Sur, California

miles away

Keyhole Arch at Pfeiffer Beach

Big Sur, California

miles away

McWay Falls and Waterfall House Ruins

Big Sur, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Big Sur

Big Sur

California

Places 4
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Nepenthe

Big Sur, California

miles away

Keyhole Arch at Pfeiffer Beach

Big Sur, California

miles away

McWay Falls and Waterfall House Ruins

Big Sur, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Big Sur

Big Sur

California

Places 4
Stories 1

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