The Library

A Fragile History

Arthur der Weduwen, Andrew Pettegree

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Hardback

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English

Profile
30 November 2021

Library & information services; History; European history; Early modern history: c 1450 to c 1700; Antiques & collectables: books, manuscripts, ephemera & printed matter

'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 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.

By: Arthur der Weduwen, Andrew Pettegree
Imprint: Profile
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: Main
Dimensions: Height: 236mm, Width: 160mm, Spine: 50mm
Weight: 816g
ISBN: 9781788163422
ISBN 10: 1788163427
Pages: 528
Publication Date: 30 November 2021
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , General/trade , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

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.

Reviews for The Library: A Fragile History

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 What is a 'library'? Is it a mute display of personal wealth and power, or of a humble devotion to God? A routine community resource, or a waste of taxpayers' money? In The Library, we are led nimbly through the centuries, seeing how it has been all of these things and more, as the authors place on the shelf a cornucopia of bookish history. -- Judith Flanders, author of A Place for Everything: The Curious History of Alphabetical Order