About this title: This history of libraries by a rare-book librarian analyzes, among other things, famous book-burnings and book-bannings, and casts often surprising light on the mixed fates of books and their storage and preservation through the ages.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Fine. 0393325644 Ships next business day. NEW/UNREAD! ! ! Text is Clean and Unmarked! --Be Sure to Compare Seller Feedback and Ratings before Purchasing--Has a small black ink mark on bottom/exterior edge of pages. May have light shelf wear to cover from storage, if any. read more
Edition: Large Print edition
Binding: hardcover pictorial
Publisher: Thorndike Press
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780786268504ISBN:0786268506
Description: Good Former public library copy with library stamps/stickers. Tight binding. Great inside, barely read. Large Print; Unabridged; 360 pages.; read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Edition: Large Print edition
Binding: hardcover pictorial
Publisher: Thorndike Press
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780786268504ISBN:0786268506
Description: Good Former public library copy with library stamps/stickers. Tight binding. Great inside/barely read. Large Print; Unabridged; 360 pages.; read more
Edition: First edition.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780393325645ISBN:0393325644
Description: New. No dust jacket as issued. Stated 1st paperback edition 1st printing w full # line in brand new condition. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 256 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc
Date Published: 2004-06-01
ISBN-13:9780393325645ISBN:0393325644
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780393325645. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780393325645ISBN:0393325644
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780393020298ISBN:0393020290
Description: New in new dust jacket. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 245 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. First published in the United Kingdom in 2003 by William Heinemann read more
Binding: Audio CD
Publisher: Books On Tape
Date Published: 2003-12
ISBN-13:9780736698351ISBN:0736698353
Description: Good. Audio book-6 CDs-States Library Edition on front. Ex-library with minimal labels; library name on back inked out; initials on inner rim of CDs. Light wear to plastic case with creased side pahel. CDs have faint scratches on back that do not affect play. CDs in plastic envelopes with fabric interleaf, attached to notebook style rings. Books-On-Tape #6319-CD, read by Grover Gardner. read more
Edition: Illustrated.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780393020298ISBN:0393020290
Description: Good in very good dust jacket. Ex-library. 2003 W. W. Norton Co. EX-LIBRARY. Hardcover wth plastic over jacket. Jacket plastic has small surface wear, but no tears. Pages are clean and unmarked. Book has library markings. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 245 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Edition: Reprint
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: W W NORTON & CO INC
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780393325645ISBN:0393325644
Description: New. Battles, a rare books librarian and a gifted narrator, takes us on a spirited tour of libraries--from Boston to Baghdad, from classical scriptoria to medieval monasteries, from the Vatican to the British Library, from socialist reading rooms and rura... read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780434008872ISBN:0434008877
Description: Good. Our aim is to create value for our customers through the provision of low cost, affordable products and an overall satisfying buying experience. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Date Published: 2003-06
ISBN-13:9780393020298ISBN:0393020290
Description: Good. Excellent customer service. May ship from alternate location depending on your zip code and availability. Satisfaction guaranteed! ! read more
Description: Like New. Book appears unread, but may have a publisher's mark or minor shelf wear. We are the Twin Cities' largest independent book store. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc, Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780393020298ISBN:0393020290
Description: Fine. Published in 2003. Signed by the Author. Fine hard back book with a Fine dust jacket. All pages clean, crisp and unmarked. Dust jacket protected by clear, archival wrap. Strong spine. Clean boards. As new copy. 245 pp. Octavo. read more
"This book gave some interesting history of the library. I especially liked the parts chronicling the different formats information was stored in before the codex (book) was invented. However, the author moved from topic to topic in a very haphazard and unorganized way (kind of ironic considering this person is a librarian - I guess we're not all organized...)"
"As a library student and enjoyer of library history, I found Mr. Battles book a mixed bag. On one hand, I can understand that it is difficult to pick through the endless minutiae of library history for the bits that provide an interesting narrative, on the other hand I did not feel I got a well-rounded history of libraries with this book.
For one thing, Battles spend much time, especially in the early part of the book, discussing history of ancient intellectualism. While the library and academic history are related, I found the balance tipped a little too far in the wrong direction.
Another point I felt was brushed over was the actual definitions of what it meant to be a public library, and how this meaning has changed over time. For example, public library did not always mean lending library like it does today. Actually, there isn't all that much in the book about public libraries proper, at least not in the modern world. I was very surprised that the Boston Public Library was only mentioned in passing considering its founding actually came prior to the first so-called public library in Britain.
Speaking of missed opportunities, I found it a little disconcerting that the only serious consideration given to the late 19th and 20th century was related to Melvil Dewey, book-burning and censorship. I'm not sure, but I doubt that these were the only interesting library-related narratives in the last hundred years.
Finally, what happened to the libraries not of the West? Ancient libraries of the East are mentioned, and Tibet is briefly touched upon, but that's it? Perhaps the books title should have been "The Destruction and Rebuilding of Libraries in the West: A History."
Bones picked, I will say that I learned some specific things about library history and gained a greater insight on how the missions of libraries have changed. As always, it was inspiring to read how people fought for libraries that served as bastions of culture. Battles does a good job of storytelling in parts, though his writing is not without needless repitition(an editor should have told him that his constant mention of Prometheus was going overboard).
Since I experienced this book while driving, I am obligated to say that the narration by Grover Gardner was steady. It's true that the tone was that of a haughty librarian, and he did mispronounce Walter Benjamin, still the reading was sufficient.
Clearly, one can tell why I gave this book two stars."
"This book is an example of one you need to get fifty pages into before you make a decision whether or not to continue with it. At about forty pages I was ready to give up, but at fifty pages, I started to get interested. You probably need to be a library-lover to want to read this book. You'll have to slog through a lot of boring stuff to get to the interesting nuggets. It wasn't what I expected, which was a history of the U.S. library. It was a worldwide history of the library. Libraries were frequently targeted for destruction as a means to really demoralize an enemy. It's funny how books have that sort of effect on people. The author, who is a librarian at Harvard, writes like someone who works at Harvard. He uses lots of "big words" which I was too lazy to look up in the dictionary. The chapter that was most interesting concerned the Nazis and book-burning. I can't imagine the feelings of the librarians and those who frequented libraries as they watched millions of volumes burning. Some were irreplaceable. It made you want to cry just thinking about it. Books have always been so important to me. It's nice to think that trends come and go but books have always been, and always will be, an extremely important part of society."
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