{"product_id":"the-strange-library-by-haruki-murakami","title":"'The Strange Library' by Haruki Murakami","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"qMYqUG_convSearchResultHighlightRoot\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"\" data-turn-id-container=\"request-6a13ebf1-e3bc-83ec-8e04-eb5854921a4e-8\" data-is-intersecting=\"true\"\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none [\u0026amp;:has([data-writing-block])\u0026gt;*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\" data-turn-id=\"request-6a13ebf1-e3bc-83ec-8e04-eb5854921a4e-8\" data-turn-id-container=\"request-6a13ebf1-e3bc-83ec-8e04-eb5854921a4e-8\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-96\" data-scroll-anchor=\"false\" data-turn=\"assistant\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-xs,calc(var(--spacing)*4))] @w-sm\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-sm,calc(var(--spacing)*6))] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-lg,calc(var(--spacing)*16))] px-(--thread-content-margin)\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col gap-4 grow\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"09296daf-dcb7-44ea-8172-0558de4ed3b4\" data-turn-start-message=\"true\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-5-5-thinking\" class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal outline-none keyboard-focused:focus-ring [.text-message+\u0026amp;]:mt-1\" tabindex=\"0\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert wrap-break-word w-full light markdown-new-styling\"\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-start=\"11\" data-end=\"371\"\u003eA boy goes to the library to find out how taxes were collected in the Ottoman Empire, which is already a very Murakami sort of mistake. \u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"373\" data-end=\"818\"\u003eThis is Murakami in miniature: dream logic, menace, melancholy, deadpan absurdity, and loneliness dressed up as a fable. It has the mood of a children’s book found in a drawer it absolutely should not have been in. The story is brief, but the design does a lot of the haunting — full-colour illustrations, collage-like pages, strange image-text rhythms, and that lovely object-quality where the book feels less “read” than handled like evidence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"820\" data-end=\"1118\"\u003eA good Murakami entry point for someone who wants the weird without signing a lease inside \u003cem data-start=\"911\" data-end=\"931\"\u003eKafka on the Shore\u003c\/em\u003e, and a neat little artefact for collectors of illustrated fiction, strange libraries, literary oddities, and books that look innocent while quietly installing a trapdoor under the floor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1133\" data-end=\"1586\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardback illustrated edition, published by Harvill Secker\/Vintage in 2014, translated by Ted Goossen. ISBN 9781846559211. As new.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"bower studio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44658080710739,"sku":null,"price":18.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0689\/0268\/2707\/files\/Yourparagraphtext-2026-05-26T150433.854.png?v=1779771965","url":"https:\/\/bowerbooks.com\/products\/the-strange-library-by-haruki-murakami","provider":"bower books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}