Free Library in This City: The Illustrated History of the San Francisco Public Library

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"Whereas, We, the citizens of San Francisco ... do most heartily approve of the project about to be inaugurated for the establishment of A Free Library in this City, and do pledge to the same our hearty and united support." With these words, an idea was born in San Francisco, an idea that eventually - well over a century later - achieved its apotheosis in the building of the New Main Public Library. This state-of-the-art cultural institution now stands as a tribute to all those who had the vision to conceive the idea and the energy to nourish ...
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1996 Hardcover First edition New in new jacket Signed first edition: As new in as new d.j. This is a nice clean copy, the spine is solid, The text is clean and pages are not ... torn or dirty. We provide fast and reliable shipping service. We started to sell on the internet in 1998. We ship from California. All our books are guaranteed. Read more Show Less

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San Francisco, California, U.S.A. 1996 Hard Cover First Edition, First Printing NEW CONDITION. NEW DUST JACKET Hardcover Book //NO REMAINDER MARK//NO PREVIOUS OWNER MARKS OF ANY ... KIND (no names or inscriptions, no bookplate, no underlining, etc) //NOT PRICECLIPPED//NEW MYLAR COVER//includes a new unmarked postcard of the library. Read more Show Less

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More About This Book

Overview

"Whereas, We, the citizens of San Francisco ... do most heartily approve of the project about to be inaugurated for the establishment of A Free Library in this City, and do pledge to the same our hearty and united support." With these words, an idea was born in San Francisco, an idea that eventually - well over a century later - achieved its apotheosis in the building of the New Main Public Library. This state-of-the-art cultural institution now stands as a tribute to all those who had the vision to conceive the idea and the energy to nourish this - through eras of triumph and tragedy. With masterful insight, Peter Booth Wiley narrates the fascinating story of this idea, tracing the concept of the library back to the origins of writing and human history itself, through the ages of antiquity to the first American libraries and beyond ... to San Francisco. Embroidered into the thread of the main narrative are 25 specially commissioned essays from the Bay Area's leading literary figures, accompanied by original artwork by noted local illustrators.
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Editorial Reviews

Library Journal
This lavishly illustrated book, handsome enough for the coffee table, was published for the dedication of San Francisco's New Main Library in April 1996. In it Wiley, a prominent local bookman, offers a gracefully readable history of the Bay Area's long struggle to provide library services, set within the context of its contentious and sometimes corrupt city government. The first 87 pages offer a general history of libraries, from ancient cultures up through the origins of American public libraries. From then on the book's focus is the politicking, financing, fundraising, and building of San Francisco's libraries. Intended for the general reader rather than for library historians; however, the later chapters serve as an instructive history of a major building campaign. Recommended. [See also Wiley's "An Act of Political Will: SF's Quest for a New Central Library," LJ April 15, p. 36-37.Ed.]Elizabeth Brice, Miami Univ. Lib., Oxford, Ohio
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781875137053
  • Publisher: Owen, Weldon, Inc.
  • Publication date: 1/28/1996
  • Pages: 240
  • Product dimensions: 9.40 (w) x 12.91 (h) x 1.43 (d)

Table of Contents

"Where Spirits Dwell" Foreword 8
Chronology 10
Ch. 1 From Frontier Town to Cultural Capital: San Francisco Realizes its Dream 12
Ch. 2 Recording the Human Experience: Ancient Libraries 22
Ch. 3 An Accumulation of Riches: The Beginnings of the Modern Library 42
Ch. 4 Origins of "That Bookish Ambition": The Public Library in America 62
Ch. 5 Grand Plans, Somber Realities: The First San Francisco Public Library 88
Ch. 6 This Magnificent Temple of Learning: The Rebuilding of San Francisco 118
Ch. 7 The Orphan Child of City Government: Troubled Years for the Library 142
Ch. 8 Battles Won and Lost: Two Decades of Activism and Promise 162
Ch. 9 Building the House of the Book: The Campaign for the New Main 192
Ch. 10 A House of Many Visions: The Library of the Future 218
Floor Guide to the New Main 228
Guide to Contributors 234
Index 236
Acknowledgments 238
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