Burning the Books by Richard Ovenden (Paperback)

Richard Ovenden, director of the Bodleian Library, explains how attacks on libraries and archives have been a feature of history since ancient times but have increased in frequency and intensity during the modern era.

In tracing the relationship between society and books, “Burning the Books” provides a manifesto for the vital importance of physical libraries in the digital age and highlights the commitment of those who have endeavoured to preserve and rescue knowledge, thereby ensuring that civilisation survives. From the rediscovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the desert, hidden from the Romans and lost for almost 2000 years to the medieval manuscript that inspired William Morris, the knowledge of the past still has so many valuable lessons to teach us and we ignore it at our peril.