Nonfiction

The Book Collectors: A Band of Syrian Rebels and the Stories That Carried Them Through a War

The Book Collectors: A Band of Syrian Rebels and the Stories That Carried Them Through a War

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  • Create Date：2021-11-04 06:51:43
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Delphine Minoui
  • ISBN：125080017X
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Summary

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR

An urgent and compelling account of great bravery and passion。 --Susan Orlean

Award-winning journalist Delphine Minoui recounts the true story of a band of young rebels， a besieged Syrian town， and an underground library built from the rubble of war

Reading is an act of resistance。

Daraya is a town outside Damascus， the very spot where the Syrian Civil War began。 Long a site of peaceful resistance to the Assad regimes， Daraya fell under siege in 2012。 For four years， no one entered or left， and aid was blocked。 Every single day， bombs fell on this place--a place of homes and families， schools and children， now emptied and broken into bits。

And then a group searching for survivors stumbled upon a cache of books in the rubble。 In a week， they had six thousand volumes; in a month， fifteen thousand。 A sanctuary was born: a library where people could escape the blockade， a paper fortress to protect their humanity。

The library offered a marvelous range of books--from Arabic poetry to American self-help， Shakespearean plays to stories of war in other times and places。 The visitors shared photos and tales of their lives before the war， planned how to build a democracy， and tended the roots of their community despite shell-shocked soil。

In the midst of the siege， the journalist Delphine Minoui tracked down one of the library's founders， twenty-three-year-old Ahmad。 Over text messages， WhatsApp， and Facebook， Minoui came to know the young men who gathered in the library， exchanged ideas， learned English， and imagined how to shape the future， even as bombs kept falling from above。 By telling their stories， Minoui makes a far-off， complicated war immediate and reveals these young men to be everyday heroes as inspiring as the books they read。 The Book Collectors is a testament to their bravery and a celebration of the power of words。

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Reviews

Danielle ，

Revealing insight of how a few young men survive 4 plus years in a ruined city under constant bombing， with no food except leaf soup and no aid allowed in by the Syrian regime。 A French journalist pieces together their story of reading rescued books and living in a forsaken place。

Teresa Osgood ，

Minoui's lyrical prose tells a difficult story。 How can there be this much devastation going on while we go about our ordinary lives？ But I learned a lot about the Syrian conflict， like why it is so hard to figure out who the good guys are。 Luckily， they are the stars of this story， and the earnest hopefulness of these young men is inspirational。 I love how they turned to books for self-education， comfort， and a sense of humanity in the chaos。 And I wish they could fulfill their dreams of democr Minoui's lyrical prose tells a difficult story。 How can there be this much devastation going on while we go about our ordinary lives？ But I learned a lot about the Syrian conflict， like why it is so hard to figure out who the good guys are。 Luckily， they are the stars of this story， and the earnest hopefulness of these young men is inspirational。 I love how they turned to books for self-education， comfort， and a sense of humanity in the chaos。 And I wish they could fulfill their dreams of democracy。 。。。more

Red ，

A shorter read that I think would actually be good for teens and young adults: there are many sides to this conflict， many philosophies and personalities that feed into it， and of course the human element in this story is transcendent。 It also discusses the power of the internet， and how without it we may never have known about this story or any of these people。 Lots of history， multicultural themes， geography， politics， and surprisingly little religion。 In my mind this deals with a great deal o A shorter read that I think would actually be good for teens and young adults: there are many sides to this conflict， many philosophies and personalities that feed into it， and of course the human element in this story is transcendent。 It also discusses the power of the internet， and how without it we may never have known about this story or any of these people。 Lots of history， multicultural themes， geography， politics， and surprisingly little religion。 In my mind this deals with a great deal of mature themes （sieges， fire bombings， government propaganda， starvation as a weapon， etc） that most students may relegate to WWII or Vietnam when in fact these are first hand accounts of the gritty reality on the ground around the world today。 。。。more

Shonna Froebel ，

https://cdnbookworm。blogspot。com/2021。。。 https://cdnbookworm。blogspot。com/2021。。。 。。。more

Tripfiction ，

Story set in DARAYA， DAMASCUSDelphine Minoui， a prizewinning reporter on Iraq and Iran， working for Le Figaro， browsing through Facebook images on her computer one evening comes across one that stops her in her tracks。 The caption reads， The Secret Library of Daraya and shows two young men standing in a makeshift underground library in the midst of bomb wrecked Daraya。 Intrigued， she sets about tracking down the photographer， Ahmad Muaddamani， one of the co-founders of the library， and it is his Story set in DARAYA， DAMASCUSDelphine Minoui， a prizewinning reporter on Iraq and Iran， working for Le Figaro， browsing through Facebook images on her computer one evening comes across one that stops her in her tracks。 The caption reads， The Secret Library of Daraya and shows two young men standing in a makeshift underground library in the midst of bomb wrecked Daraya。 Intrigued， she sets about tracking down the photographer， Ahmad Muaddamani， one of the co-founders of the library， and it is his story that forms the basis for this account。In 2012 the rebel suburb of Daraya in Damascus， determined to hold firm against Assad’s brutality， is besieged by Syrian government forces and four years of immense suffering follows with the remaining residents being bombarded by shells， barrel bombs and even chemical attacks。 In late 2013， Muddamani， who is already committed in the fight to resist Assad， is asked to help his friends clear out the ruins of a house that is full of books。 Books hold little fascination for the fighter; his experience of books had been confined to the ones he had been given at school – full of propaganda。 But something grips him when he starts to read one of those rescued books and he， like the others， is hooked on the mission to reclaim as many as possible from the bomb-ravaged buildings in the city。Before long， the small group of men have got over fifteen thousand volumes for their library。 They take immense risks to rescue books and then set about repairing and cataloguing them， taking particular care to write inside the front cover of each volume the name of the original owner， just in case they might be able to be reunited in the future。 The men dig out an underground space for their library， they decorate， furnish and build shelves and almost instantly the library is in business， offering the trapped residents access to uncensored reading。 The library quickly becomes a meeting place and offers an opportunity for education in a city where almost all the educators had been exiled， jailed or murdered。Set exclusively in besieged Daraya， this account offers us a unique insight into the experience of these rebels and the other civilians trapped there; it highlights the sacrifices made and the deprivations endured。 In addition to the direct assaults on their safety， the people are cut off from food supplies， from water and electricity。 At one point in the story， Minoui receives a letter signed by the usually unseen and unheard women of Daraya。 They tell her of their struggles to keep children fed and to ward off disease and infection。 “Behind the courage of men can be found the suffering of women，” comments Minoui。 The Book Collectors of Daraya is a straightforward tale， told simply。 Minoui’s style is definitely more journalese than literary but， in many ways， this is an advantage as the understated prose makes the narration more powerful and poignant。One of the most arresting aspects of this very slim volume is in its structure。 There is the main and very gripping story of the library and the struggles of the young men who founded it， but alongside this， and， almost more fascinating， is the account of Minoui’s growing relationship with them。 She worries constantly about their safety and the reader， with her， suffers the frustration of an unreliable internet connection and the inevitable lengthy， frightening silences。 Her conversations with the men and their discussions about the favourite book choices and the reasons for them is， at times， amusing and， at others well-nigh heart-breaking。Despite the inevitable ending， ultimately， The Book Collectors of Daraya offers us some hope and a belief that the power of words has some impact against incomprehensible violence and cruelty。 。。。more

Alma Cruz ，

What a beautiful book。 This is the true story 。 Anyone who loves libraries and books should read this book。 I learned a lot about Syria and the conflict there。

Daryl Thompson ，

This book helped me understand the horrible effects of the war in the Middle East。Minoui explained well the positive that came to the people to be able to read during these difficult times。

Tamara✨ ，

This was such a moving story of not so much a library， but about the men （and women！） who curate and guard it。 Since it's written through the perspective of Delphine Minoui， it feels a bit distant at times because she's clearly editing the story to fit a certain narrative， which is fine！ It's a book， even non-fiction books sometimes follow a narrative。 I would have liked a bit more from the perspective of the men she was talking to， but I also understand that must have been extremely difficult s This was such a moving story of not so much a library， but about the men （and women！） who curate and guard it。 Since it's written through the perspective of Delphine Minoui， it feels a bit distant at times because she's clearly editing the story to fit a certain narrative， which is fine！ It's a book， even non-fiction books sometimes follow a narrative。 I would have liked a bit more from the perspective of the men she was talking to， but I also understand that must have been extremely difficult since she was only able to communicate with them via WhatsApp using spotty internet connections。 I do appreciate that Minoui was able to avoid the typical trappings of a Western journalist writing about "eastern" perspectives by making it like， grief porn-y or "look how these people suffer yet they still find things to be happy about！！！！1！！1！"。 It's quite factual at times and she doesn't dress it up or dress it down either。 Anyway， I found it really interesting to listen to on audiobook， and definitely think it's worth a read。 Left me thinking a lot about censorship via the destruction of knowledge and culture， and the censorship that goes on in my own country， even though it's nowhere near the scale that it is in Syria。 。。。more

Kate ，

My copy of the book was simply called "The Book Collectors of Daraya"。 I found the title of this book to be quite misleading。 There were book collectors， and they were in Daraya。 You may be asking: what was my problem？I found the book to be very unfocused - the library itself， which sounded like the centre of the book from its synopsis， was discussed infrequently。 There was a bit more focus on the book collectors themselves - their history， how they came to be associated with the library - but m My copy of the book was simply called "The Book Collectors of Daraya"。 I found the title of this book to be quite misleading。 There were book collectors， and they were in Daraya。 You may be asking: what was my problem？I found the book to be very unfocused - the library itself， which sounded like the centre of the book from its synopsis， was discussed infrequently。 There was a bit more focus on the book collectors themselves - their history， how they came to be associated with the library - but much of their testimony felt very filtered through the lens of the journalist writing this book。 This book was not advertised as being autobiographical in any way， but the author had a tendency to insert themselves however possible into the book。 I would have been a bit more accepting if I knew this when beginning the book， but when she tries to link her experiences with those of the Syrian rebels， it felt like it lacked perspective。 So much of the book was the author going on about the power and magic of books without explaining how specific books were impacting the lives or actions of the people in Syria。 There were points when the author tried to link storytime at the French embassy in Istanbul to storytime in the underground library in Daraya。This seemed to be the story of getting in contact with the book collectors from Daraya， rather than any in-depth investigation into the book collectors themselves or the library in Daraya。 I think it could have benefitted from more first-person accounts of life in Daraya， especially regarding the library and the book collection effort。 。。。more

Marti ，

Recommended to me by Ann Smith。A sad， yet hopeful book。

Amelia Adams ，

This book was excellent。 It was an inspiring story of hope， devastation， and the power of books。 It highlighted books as an escape and the power of the written word， which is something we can all relate to。 Told in the power of common humanity and very beautifully done， I was really touched by this book。

Arunaa （IG: rebelbooksta） ，

How does one tell war victims to look for the silver lining in the middle of a horrifying war？ The resilience to survive has to come from within。 A journalist， Delphine Minoui， leads us into the war torn suburb of Damascus in Syria through her virtual live interactions with the rebels resisting the dictatorship。 This reportage， 'The Book Collectors of Daraya' is originally written in French。 Translated to English by Lara Vergnaud。 A band of rebels in the notoriously rebel land of Daraya， living How does one tell war victims to look for the silver lining in the middle of a horrifying war？ The resilience to survive has to come from within。 A journalist， Delphine Minoui， leads us into the war torn suburb of Damascus in Syria through her virtual live interactions with the rebels resisting the dictatorship。 This reportage， 'The Book Collectors of Daraya' is originally written in French。 Translated to English by Lara Vergnaud。 A band of rebels in the notoriously rebel land of Daraya， living the horrors of war were seeking refuge in books they excavated from bombed out ruins。 The books became their physical symbol of resilience。 And to fossilize the leftover humanity。 Hoping anyone who treads on the book will pass on the legacy of survival。 To be lost is to be found。 "The library is their hidden fortress against the bombs。 Books are the weapons of mass instruction。"。 Any monster could come and go， reduce anything made of flesh， blood， bones and concrete to gunpowder ashes， but can never ever destroy the power of reading and writing， the ability to think or the brave spirit of dissent， the faculty of ideas - the entirely humane invention。 A powerful read。 A revelation that reading is a form of stubborn resistance and survival : to be alive。 5 stars 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟（Swipe left to read the passage on the inhumane Sarin gas warfare and the despicable UN's worthlessness to end the war。） "Our revolution is meant to build， not destroy。"#TheBookCollectorsOfDaraya #DelphineMinoui #LaraVergnaud  #Igreads #syrianliterature #translatedworks #Daraya  #kobolibrah20 #Frenchliterature #whatareyoureadingsg #readingnationsg #bookstagram #read #politicalessays #book #booklover #bookreview #sgbookstagram #booksofinstagram #nonfiction #bookreviewersofinstagram #goodreads  #keffiyeh #kufiya #shemagh #panmacmillan #warreportage  #WarOnTerror #investigativejournalism #journalism 。。。more

Bobby ，

This is， quite simply， the best book I have read on Syria。 The author allows the reader to really get to know this "band of Syrian rebels。" I now have a renewed interest in Syria that will stay with me for quite some time。 This is， quite simply， the best book I have read on Syria。 The author allows the reader to really get to know this "band of Syrian rebels。" I now have a renewed interest in Syria that will stay with me for quite some time。 。。。more

Jehona ，

It is well-written， no doubt， but it would have been more powerful if it had been written or co-written by one of the people who was there。 It also feels a little like using someone else's story。 But as a report on the story made by an outsider， it is excellent。 It is well-written， no doubt， but it would have been more powerful if it had been written or co-written by one of the people who was there。 It also feels a little like using someone else's story。 But as a report on the story made by an outsider， it is excellent。 。。。more

Christine ，

This is the astounding and true story of a group of young Syrian pacifist revolutionaries who， amid the increasing ruin of their town， set about collecting books from the bombed out buildings of their neighbors。 Thousands of books were collected， and the name of their owners carefully written in each in the hopes of one day returning them。 The books were carried to an underground location， shelves were built， the books were grouped by theme， and then alphabetized。 This secret library became a hu This is the astounding and true story of a group of young Syrian pacifist revolutionaries who， amid the increasing ruin of their town， set about collecting books from the bombed out buildings of their neighbors。 Thousands of books were collected， and the name of their owners carefully written in each in the hopes of one day returning them。 The books were carried to an underground location， shelves were built， the books were grouped by theme， and then alphabetized。 This secret library became a hub of culture and intellectual stimulation， complete with lectures， discussion groups， and a newspaper， amid the wreckage of a town which would not fall into line with Assad's cruel plans and aspirations。 The Book Collectors was written by a journalist living in Turkey who found out about the library by chance and tracked down one of the founders via messy internet connections。 She followed the activities of the library and the town through Ahmad and his friends， all the while probing， questioning， and uncovering more and more about the barrel bombings that threatened them every day， the starvation， the chemical attacks meant to methodically dismantle and destroy the town of Daraya。 The library was the lifeline， the place where citizens could find solace， stimulation， and human contact amid the fray。 This book is superbly written and is a testament to true bravery and human creative spirit in the face of unspeakable horror。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more

Cheryl ，

I thought this would be more about books and less about Syria。 I was wrong。 Interesting read/listen， but not what I expected。

Jan ，

Heartbreaking account of the fall of a small city outside of Damascus and the hidden library that gave the people hope when Assad was destroying them。

Nicholle ，

Quick listen and good reminder that what we do is powerful。---2021 Extreme Book Nerd Challenge - Book about a major world event

David ，

Even though it is a really sad story in some ways， this book chronicles a moment that gives me hope。 Highly recommended: It won't take long to read， and if it doesn't move you， I'm worried about you。 I'm giving the book 5 stars because I believe the story is really important， and that's all that really matters with a book like this。 The writing would normally rate fewer stars from me， but in this case I only care that the story is recorded and published， and it didn't need to be great art。 I won Even though it is a really sad story in some ways， this book chronicles a moment that gives me hope。 Highly recommended: It won't take long to read， and if it doesn't move you， I'm worried about you。 I'm giving the book 5 stars because I believe the story is really important， and that's all that really matters with a book like this。 The writing would normally rate fewer stars from me， but in this case I only care that the story is recorded and published， and it didn't need to be great art。 I won't share the details， which is what makes the book worth reading， but I will just say a bit about the story （even if the subtitle already makes it clear what the book is about）。 There was a city near Damascus that rose up in non-violent protest against the Assad regime in Syria， and when the regime started shooting at them， they decided to defend themselves。 They maintained a democratic， civilian government and managed to keep from being taken over by the Islamic fundamentalist rebel factions， but the Assad regime still called them terrorists， so they were bombed unmercifully。 During this time， some of the people there started rescuing books from bombed out buildings， taking them to a library underground where they wrote the owners' names in each book， so they could return them after the war。 The author heard about this， and reached out through whatever means of communication she could to keep in touch with these book-loving rebels during their ordeal。 And it was a terrible ordeal。 Of course， I am angry about our utter failure to help， but the spirit of these people is so uplifting， I am still very glad I read the book。 I think you would be， too。 This was on the sale table at Prologue Books last week， so I grabbed it。 Hooray for serendipity！ 。。。more

Joe Pajer ，

Minoui deftly brings us into the lives and hearts of a group of moderate rebels who are trapped in Daraya， a suburb of Damascus that is under siege by the Syrian government （with backing from Russia and Iran）。

Becki ，

I will admit to getting a bit lost in talking about the politics and war in Syria specifics。 There is definitely a deficit in my knowledge， and I learned some。 I did like the role books played and how they brought people together and educated。

Shannon ，

Completely heartbreaking。 I remember asking my parents how the world let the atrocities of the holocaust happen and thinking that something like that could never possibly happen again。 But it has。 And it does。 Because we continue to turn away and do nothing。 I couldn't help but think about what I would read if I found myself trapped like these rebels were。 What would I be drawn to？ What pages would bring me comfort？ Completely heartbreaking。 I remember asking my parents how the world let the atrocities of the holocaust happen and thinking that something like that could never possibly happen again。 But it has。 And it does。 Because we continue to turn away and do nothing。 I couldn't help but think about what I would read if I found myself trapped like these rebels were。 What would I be drawn to？ What pages would bring me comfort？ 。。。more

Sharon K F ，

This book gives insight into what living under siege is like for too many people in the world today。 Whether these fighters were right or wrong， they sought to have joy and peace in the midst of a terrible situation。 It is written by someone who made contact with them through the Internet and was not personally living in the situation， but she still gives a graphic picture of their lives。

lily mclaughlin ，

Definitely the best book I've read this year。 Maybe even one of the best books I've ever read。 Definitely the best book I've read this year。 Maybe even one of the best books I've ever read。 。。。more

J。J。 ，

3。5。 I love the idea and role that books played in this story， of keeping hope alive in war time and connecting people across place。 However， for a short book it didn't hold my attention the way I expected。 3。5。 I love the idea and role that books played in this story， of keeping hope alive in war time and connecting people across place。 However， for a short book it didn't hold my attention the way I expected。 。。。more

Daniel ，

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book。 Rated 3。25 of 5In the mid-2010's Daraya， Syria - a small community just outside Damascus - was a focal point of the Syrian Civil War （which is still going on）。 Bombs and chemical weapons would rain down on the community daily - as much to wear down the morale of the citizens as it was to kill them。A group of youth， determined to resist the attacking forces， would walk through town after a bombing raid to search for survivors。 In additi This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book。 Rated 3。25 of 5In the mid-2010's Daraya， Syria - a small community just outside Damascus - was a focal point of the Syrian Civil War （which is still going on）。 Bombs and chemical weapons would rain down on the community daily - as much to wear down the morale of the citizens as it was to kill them。A group of youth， determined to resist the attacking forces， would walk through town after a bombing raid to search for survivors。 In addition to the occasional survivor， these youth found books。 Books。 And more books。 Soon what this band of rebels had was an underground library。The story was brought to the attention of Delphine Minoui， a French-Iranian journalist who managed to make a connection with the youth stocking and protecting and sharing the library。 What she found were smart， dedicated people just looking to hang onto their homes， and with nothing to do day in and day out but wait for the bombs and search for survivors， these young people became voracious readers who also looked forward to semi-regular Facebook conversations with Delphine。 For her part， Delphine became attached to these youths and would try to send digital books that were requested by the villagers who were essentially held captive in their own homes。This is a fascinating story and with Delphine Minoui's help we get to know a few of these young rebels。 And while they might be presented on the news as rebels （if the news would even bother to cover this war）， this book really humanizes these victims。 With not much to hang on to in a city slowly being literally destroyed， a group of educated， intelligent young people have sought refuge and escapism in books。 For those of who love to read （and chances are， if you are reading this blog or finding this review on Goodreads， you love to read） we can easily see ourselves here 。。。 minus the ever-present threat of being blown to bits。Minoui relates and compares some of her own experiences watching horrors in her home of Paris and while visiting Istanbul， and these experiences make a strong statement on the general aggressiveness of human beings。And while I found the book engaging， at the end of it I wasn't sure what I was meant to take away from the reading。 Is it just a news story， meant to inform and let the reader take away from it what they will？ I don't think so。 It's meant to be more than that， and the connection is in the books and the library， but that final literary ribbon to tie it all together was missing for me。Looking for a good book？ The Book Collectors by Delphine Minoui is a powerful story of a war-torn city and its people trying to survive but an opportunity to tell how the creation of the library was important to maintaining a semblance of normalcy was missed。I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher， through Netgalley， in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

C ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A story of knowledge and the hope it pertains intertwined with the story of war and the lives it affects。 Dialogue， history， and personal stories strewn throughout。 The story takes place on the computer screen， through WhatsApp， from the author’s location to those in Daraya。 Though it doesn’t take away from the story。 It adds suspense and uniqueness to the story。 It gives emphasis to the fact that having access to the internet was vital for Daraya。You also learn about the culture before the revo A story of knowledge and the hope it pertains intertwined with the story of war and the lives it affects。 Dialogue， history， and personal stories strewn throughout。 The story takes place on the computer screen， through WhatsApp， from the author’s location to those in Daraya。 Though it doesn’t take away from the story。 It adds suspense and uniqueness to the story。 It gives emphasis to the fact that having access to the internet was vital for Daraya。You also learn about the culture before the revolution， and leading up to it。 It’s not a detailed history but I think that was intentional， as this was more the story of the book collectors and their lives。 It was enough information to see how they got to where they were。 At the end， I think it would be helpful to update us on what’s going on in Daraya， resources on how we can help， and pictures that Shadi took throughout。 。。。more

Annie Smith ，

Found book a little slow at first - had to concentrate with the names and cities。 However once I got into it which did not take long - I was totally impressed。 Cannot love the book because of the circumstances it has been written。 However definitely glad I read and would recommend - learnt so much。 Liked very much。 Some people could read this book in a day; only 197 pages。 Looking for more by Delphine Minoui。

Erin Hatt ，

As a woman who always found her refuge and comfort in books， I appreciated this journey to the underground library of Daraya。 I admire and understand the devotion the book collectors and other Syrian rebels had not only to the written word， but to their home as well。 As I look at my aboveground， overflowing bookshelf writing this review， I am grateful that I have a somewhat safe place to live and I will never be persecuted for the books I have and choose to read。I received this book in a Goodrea As a woman who always found her refuge and comfort in books， I appreciated this journey to the underground library of Daraya。 I admire and understand the devotion the book collectors and other Syrian rebels had not only to the written word， but to their home as well。 As I look at my aboveground， overflowing bookshelf writing this review， I am grateful that I have a somewhat safe place to live and I will never be persecuted for the books I have and choose to read。I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway， but this has no influence on my review。 。。。more

Kelly Buchanan ，

A thoroughly moving account of a Syrian town under seige。 A humanizing record that refuses to give in to easy stereotypes and rhetoric， and a tale of a tiny community cherishing and nurturing knowledge and culture amidst unimaginable daily atrocities。 A slim little volume， but one that won't leave you with a dry eye。 A thoroughly moving account of a Syrian town under seige。 A humanizing record that refuses to give in to easy stereotypes and rhetoric， and a tale of a tiny community cherishing and nurturing knowledge and culture amidst unimaginable daily atrocities。 A slim little volume， but one that won't leave you with a dry eye。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Book Collectors: A Band of Syrian Rebels and the Stories That Carried Them Through a War

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Book Collectors: A Band of Syrian Rebels and the Stories That Carried Them Through a War&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Book Collectors: A Band of Syrian Rebels and the Stories That Carried Them Through a War&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0