The Book Mountain of MVRDV is a building with a mission: to encourage a town populated by the least enthusiastic readers in the Netherlands to switch off their televisions and start reading books again. This biography of the Book Mountain paints a picture of the town of Spijkenisse and the political and social contexts in which such buildings are realized.
Book Mountain Spijkenisse is the story of an architect with a vision, a revolutionary councillor, the widow of a veterinarian, an arty library director and a visionary hero from India who saves the town. It is a fascinating portrayal of life and customs in a new polder town. The motives of the protagonists and the context are described in a catchy, straightforward style, befitting Spijkenisse, by former Volkskrant newspaper editor Nicoline Baartman. The story is illustrated with photographs by Marcel Veldman and informative graphics by MVRDV.