The Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading in Rio De Janiero, Brazil. This stunning example of colourful architecture and masterful craftsmanship was founded in 1822 by a group of Portuguese immigrants who wanted to bring their native literary traditions (that is to say, book lovers who couldn’t part with their books) to the newly founded nation of Brazil which had, until that point, been a colony of Portugal since the 1500s. Having transported ship loads of books painstakingly across dangerous oceans, they eventually opened the Cabinet to the public in 1887 with the intention of being capable of housing a ‘growing collection’ of literature. The architecture itself has a gothic renaissance feel, a style that was popular at the time it was built. At 350,000 titles, it became the world’s biggest collection of Portuguese literature outside of Portugal and housed some of the rarest original manuscripts, single works of literature and original proofs. Today the collection has grown to almost 400,000 and regularly receives around 6000 new titles a year. Not only that but the collection now houses paintings and various other pieces of Portuguese cultural ephemera which makes it a comprehensive collection of Portuguese culture and heritage. An incredible sight and a magnificent experience, if one ever ventures into Brazilian territories...