The library : a fragile history

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Title:

The library : a fragile history

Author:

Pettegree, Andrew, author.

Weduwen, Arthur der, author.

Summary:

Famed across the known world, jealously guarded by private collectors, built up over centuries, destroyed in a single day, ornamented with gold leaf and frescoes or filled with bean bags and children's drawings - the history of the library is rich, varied and stuffed full of incident. In this, the first major history of its kind, Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen explore the contested and dramatic history of the library, from the famous collections of the ancient world to the embattled public resources we cherish today. Along the way, they introduce us to the antiquarians and philanthropists who shaped the world's great collections, trace the rise and fall of fashions and tastes, and reveal the high crimes and misdemeanours committed in pursuit of rare and valuable manuscripts.

General Note:

Originally published in 2021 in Great Britain by Profile Books Ltd.

Edition:

First US edition.

Contents:

Prologue: curating the ruins -- Inception and survival. A confusion of scrolls ; Sanctuary ; Little monkeys and letters of gold -- The crisis of print. The infernal press ; Coming of age ; Reformations -- The new collectors. The professionals ; Idle books and riff raff ; Mission fields -- Between public and private. Grand designs ; Cardinal errors ; The antiquarians -- Fictions. Orderly minds ; Building empires ; Reading on the job -- The war on books. Surviving the twentieth century ; Wrestling with modernity ; Libraries, books and politics -- Postscript: reading without books.

Physical Description:

518 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm

Subject Term:

Libraries -- History.

Author(s):

Weduwen, Arthur der,

Publisher:

Basic Books,

Publication Date:

2021

ISBN:

9781541600775

Publication Information:

New York, NY : Basic Books, 2021.

Call Number:

027 PETTEGREE

Holds: Copies:

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Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003573147	Adult Nonfiction	027 PETTEGREE	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

Perfect for book lovers, this is a fascinating exploration of the history of libraries and the people who built them, from the ancient world to the digital age.

Famed across the known world, jealously guarded by private collectors, built up over centuries, destroyed in a single day, ornamented with gold leaf and frescoes, or filled with bean bags and children's drawings--the history of the library is rich, varied, and stuffed full of incident. In The Library , historians Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen introduce us to the antiquarians and philanthropists who shaped the world's great collections, trace the rise and fall of literary tastes, and reveal the high crimes and misdemeanors committed in pursuit of rare manuscripts. In doing so, they reveal that while collections themselves are fragile, often falling into ruin within a few decades, the idea of the library has been remarkably resilient as each generation makes--and remakes--the institution anew.

Beautifully written and deeply researched, The Library is essential reading for booklovers, collectors, and anyone who has ever gotten blissfully lost in the stacks.

Author Notes

Andrew Pettegree is professor of modern history at the University of St Andrews. A leading expert on the history of book and media transformations, Pettegree is the award-winning author of several books on news and information culture. He lives in Scotland.

Arthur der Weduwen is a British Academy postdoctoral fellow at the University of St. Andrews. This is his fifth book. He lives in Scotland.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Historians Pettegree and der Weduwen (The Bookshop of the World) take a comprehensive and fascinating deep dive into the evolution of libraries. They trace "a repeating cycle of creation and dispersal, decay and reconstruction" from the Assyrian Empire of Mesopotamia in the seventh century BCE, when the earliest libraries on record, consisting of as many as 35,000 clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform script housed in palaces and temples and accessible only to scholars and royals, were destroyed by rival Babylonians, to 1990s Sarajevo, where the Serbian militia attacked the Bosnia state library. Colorful historical figures abound: Holy Roman Empire originator Charlemagne's efforts to unify Europe in the ninth century hinged upon efficient communication, which led him to push for literacy education and the gathering of book collections in monasteries to encourage scholarship, while 19th-century steel baron Andrew Carnegie's funding of public libraries in the U.S. and Britain made their holdings accessible to the average person. Pettegree and der Weduwen also explore changes in reading habits, the widespread availability of digital resources, and the transformation of public libraries into de facto community centers that fill societal needs unmet elsewhere. Bibliophiles should consider this a must-read. (Nov.)

Library Journal Review

The concept of a library has changed throughout the ages, but as this comprehensive history of libraries indicates, the problems that plague libraries have remained the same. Being in the middle of political battles and torn apart in war is destructive, but apathy and neglect can be just as dangerous, argue Pettegree and Der Weduwen, both historians at the University of St. Andrews. They make their case through anecdotes about the people who have collected books and larger considerations of historical trends in books and political movements. This fascinating if dense book aims to be a world history, yet the focus is mainly European and American; forays into other regions tend to consider colonial influences above the local practices. Despite this weakness, the book has important criticism of bad practices in libraries and their institutions (e.g., the American Library Association), which provides necessary modern context, as many of the struggles around the role of politics in libraries are ongoing. VERDICT This is sure to be a new addition to library and information school curricula and will be fascinating for all bibliophiles and people who want libraries to survive and improve.--Margaret Heller, Loyola Univ. Chicago Libs.

Prologue: Curating the Ruins	p. 1
Part 1 Inception and Survival	p. 15
1 A Confusion of Scrolls	p. 17
2 Sanctuary	p. 29
3 Little Monkeys and Letters of Gold	p. 52
Part 2 The Crisis of Print	p. 73
4 The Infernal Press	p. 75
5 Coming of Age	p. 88
6 Reformations	p. 102
Part 3 The New Collectors	p. 121
7 The Professionals	p. 123
8 Idle Books and Riff Raff	p. 143
9 Mission Fields	p. 161
Part 4 Between Public and Private	p. 179
10 Grand Designs	p. 181
11 Cardinal Errors	p. 199
12 The Antiquarians	p. 221
Part 5 Fictions	p. 243
13 Orderly Minds	p. 245
14 Building Empires	p. 269
15 Reading on the Job	p. 294
Part 6 The War on Books	p. 321
16 Surviving the Twentieth Century	p. 323
17 Wrestling with Modernity	p. 350
18 Libraries, Books and Politics	p. 381
Postscript: Reading Without Books	p. 403
Acknowledgements	p. 415
List of Illustrations	p. 417
Notes	p. 420
Bibliography	p. 461
Index	p. 503

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Library Journal Review

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