Books on Fire PDF Download

Author: Lucien X. Polastron
Publisher: Lucien X. POLASTRON
ISBN: 9781594771675
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 396

View

Book Description
Almost as old as the idea of the library is the urge to destroy it. Author Lucien X. Polastron traces the history of this destruction, examining the causes for these disasters, the treasures that have been lost, and where the surviving books, if any, have ended up. Books on Fire received the 2004 Societe des Gens de Lettres Prize for Nonfiction/History in Paris.

Author: Lionel Casson
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300088094
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 191

View

Book Description
The unexpected murder in the little Cotswolds town of Colombury has everyone guessing. Before the answers are found more lives are threatened.

Author: Luciano Canfora
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 9780520072558
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 220

View

Book Description
Recreates the world of ancient Egypt, describes how the Library of Alexandria was created, and speculates on its destruction.

Author: Michael Lee Pope
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 1614232709
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 139

View

Book Description
Go inside the long-forgotten 19th century period when Alexandria left Virginia and incorporated itself into the fledging Distric of Columbia. This groundbreaking history uncovers the time in the 19th century when Alexandria left the commonwealth of Virginia and became incorporated into the emerging District of Columbia. It was an experiment that failed after half a century of neglect and a growing animosity between North and South. However, it was a fascinating time when cannon were dragged onto city streets for political rallies, candidates plied their voters with liquor and devastating fires ravaged the city.

Author: Rahma Krambo
Publisher: Rahma Krambo
ISBN: 9780983705413
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 282

View

Book Description
In the wrong hands, some books can be dangerous-and some libraries can be positively deadly. Marco, a young tabby, has been perfectly happy as a small town library cat and newly appointed Guardian of an ancient mystical book. However, when otherworldly creatures begin roaming the stacks after hours, and his mentor, the elder Guardian, is killed, Marco's innocent world is shattered. The young tabby cat is on his own, ill-prepared for the daunting task of safekeeping the magical book of power-and the very heart and soul of the library. Time and space are no barriers for Marco's shape shifting friends and enemies as he learns that the library is the most dangerous place worth saving. Guardian Cats is the classic hero's journey with cats as the guardians of an ancient mystical book of power.

Author: Susan Orlean
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 1476740194
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 336

View

Book Description
Susan Orlean’s bestseller and New York Times Notable Book is “a sheer delight…as rich in insight and as varied as the treasures contained on the shelves in any local library” (USA TODAY)—a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution and an investigation into one of its greatest mysteries. “Everybody who loves books should check out The Library Book” (The Washington Post). On the morning of April 28, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. The fire was disastrous: it reached two thousand degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who? Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a “delightful…reflection on the past, present, and future of libraries in America” (New York magazine) that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before. In the “exquisitely written, consistently entertaining” (The New York Times) The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries; brings each department of the library to vivid life; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago. “A book lover’s dream…an ambitiously researched, elegantly written book that serves as a portal into a place of history, drama, culture, and stories” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis), Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books—and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country.

Author: Roy MacLeod
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0857714384
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 209

View

Book Description
The Library of Alexandria was one of the greatest cultural adornments of the late ancient world, containing thousands of scrolls of Greek, Hebrew and Mesopotamian literature and art and artefacts of ancient Egypt. This book demonstrates that Alexandria became - through the contemporary reputation of its library - a point of confluence for Greek, Roman, Jewish and Syrian culture that drew scholars and statesmen from throughout the ancient world. It also explores the histories of Alexander the Great and of Alexandria itself, the greatest city of the ancient world. This new paperback edition offers general readers an accessible introduction to the history of this magnificent yet still mysterious institution from the time of its foundation up to its tragic destruction.

Author: Fernando Báez
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 392

View

Book Description
Examines the many reasons and motivations for the destruction of books throughout history, citing specific acts from the smashing of ancient Sumerian tablets to the looting of libraries in post-war Iraq.

Author: Richard Ovenden
Publisher: Belknap Press
ISBN: 0674241207
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 321

View

Book Description
A Wolfson History Prize Finalist A New Statesman Book of the Year A Sunday Times Book of the Year “Timely and authoritative...I enjoyed it immensely.” —Philip Pullman “If you care about books, and if you believe we must all stand up to the destruction of knowledge and cultural heritage, this is a brilliant read—both powerful and prescient.” —Elif Shafak Libraries have been attacked since ancient times but they have been especially threatened in the modern era, through war as well as willful neglect. Burning the Books describes the deliberate destruction of the knowledge safeguarded in libraries from Alexandria to Sarajevo, from smashed Assyrian tablets to the torching of the Library of Congress. The director of the world-famous Bodleian Libraries, Richard Ovenden, captures the political, religious, and cultural motivations behind these acts. He also shines a light on the librarians and archivists preserving history and memory, often risking their lives in the process. More than simply repositories for knowledge, libraries support the rule of law and inspire and inform citizens. Ovenden reminds us of their social and political importance, challenging us to protect and support these essential institutions. “Wonderful...full of good stories and burning with passion.” —Sunday Times “The sound of a warning vibrates through this book.” —The Guardian “Essential reading for anyone concerned with libraries and what Ovenden outlines as their role in ‘the support of democracy, the rule of law and open society.’” —Wall Street Journal “Ovenden emphasizes that attacks on books, archives, and recorded information are the usual practice of authoritarian regimes.” —Michael Dirda, Washington Post

Author: Mark London Williams
Publisher: Candlewick Press
ISBN: 0763630926
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 232

View

Book Description
When twelve-year-old Eli becomes involved with the time travel experiments that the government pressures his parents to pursue, he travels to fifth-century Alexandria, Egypt, where he meets some unusual friends. Reprint.