AI-built 3D map of Umberto Eco's 33,000-book library goes open source
emollick · x · 2026-09-18
Ethan Mollick open-sourced a walkable 3D model of Umberto Eco's Milan private library, reconstructed shelf by shelf from public sources. Of the 33,000 volumes, 1,300 rare books (including 36 incunabula) sit at the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense, while the 32,000-volume working library opened as Biblioteca Eco at Palazzo Poggi, Bologna, in July 2026. The site is a single self-contained HTML file built on three.js — orbit the flat or walk through at eye level and click any book for details. Mollick notes the AI found all the references itself; code is on GitHub, live at eco-library-map.netlify.app.
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