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Burning the Books
Book

Burning the Books

A History of the Deliberate Destruction of Knowledge

Belknap Press, 2020 more...


Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Applicable
  • Eloquent

Recommendation

The Nazis who burned books near a Berlin university in 1933 claimed the volumes represented corruption and decadence. Such attacks have persisted throughout history, and still exist in different ways. The ancient world invented libraries to store and transmit knowledge, but today they’re under attack from people who reject knowledge and negate history. Attacks on knowledge – such as book-banning movements – signal an ongoing rejection of the ideals of democracy and an open society, explains author Richard Ovenden, director of Oxford University’s great Bodleian Libraries. He provides a passionate, historically intricate plea for the preservation of knowledge and the enduring importance of libraries.

Take-Aways

  • Libraries and archives preserve knowledge and history.
  • The burning of the great library of Alexandria, Egypt, is mythic.
  • The Reformation caused perhaps the greatest destruction of libraries in history.

About the Author

Richard Ovenden, a Fellow of Balliol College, is the director of the Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford.


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