Princes, collectors, bookworms and thieves: the extraordinary story of the library, from Alexandria to the age of Google.

A sweeping, absorbing history, deeply researched, of that extraordinary and enduring phenomenon: the library - Richard Ovenden, author of Burning the Books: A History of Knowledge under Attack

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 childrens 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 worlds 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.

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Author bio:
Andrew Pettegree holds a professorship at St Andrews University and is one of the leading experts on Europe during the Reformation. He is the author of The Invention of News, which won the Goldsmith Prize and Brand Luther, among other publications.

Arthur der Weduwen is a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow and Deputy Director of the Universal Short Title Catalogue project at St Andrews. This is his fifth book.

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The Library
ISBN: 9781788163422
Publisher: Profile Books
Imprint: Profile Trade
Pub Date: November 2021
Page Extent: 528 Hardcover
Format: Book
Subject: Antiques & collectables: books, manuscripts, ephemera & printed matter