This work describes the crucial role libraries played in ancient Egypt, Han-dynasty China, the ancient Western Classical world (the great library of Alexandria, which was lost to us in stages over many years), the Baghdad of Harun-al-Rashid, and medieval and Renaissance Europe. It continues with the libraries of colonial America, the Library of Congress, university libraries, and today's large public library system.
List of illustrations
Preface
1 The Earliest Libraries
2 Libraries of Classical Antiquity
3 Lanterns of the Dark Ages
4 Libraries of the Orient
5 Libraries of the Islamic World
6 The High Middle Ages
7 Gutenberg's Legacy
8 Treasuries of the Book
9 The Repositories of Knowledge
10 Libraries for the People
11 The Rising Generation
12 Putting Knowledge to Work
13 The Craft of Librarianship
14 Libraries of the Future
Notes
Principal Works Consulted
Index
Overview
This work describes the crucial role libraries played in ancient Egypt, Han-dynasty China, the ancient Western Classical world (the great library of Alexandria, which was lost to us in stages over many years), the Baghdad of Harun-al-Rashid, and medieval and Renaissance Europe. It continues with the libraries of colonial America, the Library of Congress, university libraries, and today's large public library system.