The Library: A Fragile History
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- Create Date：2022-11-12 09:51:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Andrew Pettegree
- ISBN：1788163435
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Summary
LONGLISTED FOR THE HISTORICAL WRITERS' ASSOCIATION NON-FICTION CROWN
A SUNDAY TIMES NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR
'Timely 。。。 a long and engrossing survey of the library' FT
'A sweeping， absorbing history， deeply researched' Richard Ovenden， author of Burning the Books
Famed across the known world， jealously guarded by private collectors， built up over centuries， destroyed in a single day， ornamented with gold leaf and frescoes or filled with bean bags and children's drawings - the history of the library is rich， varied and stuffed full of incident。
In this， the first major history of its kind， Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen explore the contested and dramatic history of the library， from the famous collections of the ancient world to the embattled public resources we cherish today。 Along the way， they introduce us to the antiquarians and philanthropists who shaped the world's great collections， trace the rise and fall of fashions and tastes， and reveal the high crimes and misdemeanours committed in pursuit of rare and valuable manuscripts。
A SUNDAY TIMES NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR
'Timely 。。。 a long and engrossing survey of the library' FT
'A sweeping， absorbing history， deeply researched' Richard Ovenden， author of Burning the Books
Famed across the known world， jealously guarded by private collectors， built up over centuries， destroyed in a single day， ornamented with gold leaf and frescoes or filled with bean bags and children's drawings - the history of the library is rich， varied and stuffed full of incident。
In this， the first major history of its kind， Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen explore the contested and dramatic history of the library， from the famous collections of the ancient world to the embattled public resources we cherish today。 Along the way， they introduce us to the antiquarians and philanthropists who shaped the world's great collections， trace the rise and fall of fashions and tastes， and reveal the high crimes and misdemeanours committed in pursuit of rare and valuable manuscripts。
Reviews
Kieran
，
The history of how the library system evolved to what we know it as today in America was very surprising。 The info was very through and I found it slow goiing ， but that me。 Clearly a lot of time was spent on tracing the library of the world！
Larry
，
This is a wonderfully thorough， well researched and presented history of a beloved and much threatened institution。 The subtitle “A Fragile History” says it all。 That fragility permeates every page the sheer jaw-dropping numbers （and libraries） of volumes lost due to wars， political and moral censorship， neglect and decay over the years is staggering。 The various iterations by societies （since recorded time） with their attempts （and also hindrances） in creating building and maintaining a “librar This is a wonderfully thorough， well researched and presented history of a beloved and much threatened institution。 The subtitle “A Fragile History” says it all。 That fragility permeates every page the sheer jaw-dropping numbers （and libraries） of volumes lost due to wars， political and moral censorship， neglect and decay over the years is staggering。 The various iterations by societies （since recorded time） with their attempts （and also hindrances） in creating building and maintaining a “library” for the common good is wonderfully outlined。 One may wonder at the conclusion “how has the library managed to survive？” as we look at the present day when unfortunately， one’s local library seems more like a downsized “Blockbuster” catering primarily to those who have rarely ever picked up a book。 We （book lovers） all trust that this too will pass as has all the other threats over the centuries have also passed and the book （and library） remains！ 。。。more
Carol Griffiths
，
This was a great history of libraries which included many fascinating stories and descriptions of events and personalities。 Anyone with a penchant for books and collections of books （all of us？） would find it enjoyable。 It is very detailed but not "dusty" or boring - it even ends on a positive note for the future of libraries。 This was a great history of libraries which included many fascinating stories and descriptions of events and personalities。 Anyone with a penchant for books and collections of books （all of us？） would find it enjoyable。 It is very detailed but not "dusty" or boring - it even ends on a positive note for the future of libraries。 。。。more
Richard
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With 100 pages of this 500+ page history being owed to references and bibliography just goes to show how much research was painstakingly gone through to produce such a wonderful and comprehensive examination of the library， and the challenges it has faced and overcome over the years。
Alexander
，
Overall interesting but incredibly winding， needlessly drawn out and somewhat condescending。
Shania
，
The overall subject matter was interesting but the writing style was quite dry。 I was disappointed that for an exhaustive history book on libraries， there was no mention of libraries outside the Americas and Europe。 Works of BIPOC librarians are already under represented within the librarian profession as a whole， let alone them being honoured in a historical context。
John Bohnert
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I found this book fascinating reading。
Howard
，
Originally posted at myreadinglife。com。I learned about The Library: A Fragile History by Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen from a Jeff Jarvis tweet。 I was intrigued by his comments and the subject matter of the book and added it to my read pile。 I recently finished reading it and have to say that I was very disappointed。The book is quite dry and very slow。 In fact， it reads a bit like a graduate dissertation that was edited for the general public。 The feel is that lots of facts were ga Originally posted at myreadinglife。com。I learned about The Library: A Fragile History by Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen from a Jeff Jarvis tweet。 I was intrigued by his comments and the subject matter of the book and added it to my read pile。 I recently finished reading it and have to say that I was very disappointed。The book is quite dry and very slow。 In fact， it reads a bit like a graduate dissertation that was edited for the general public。 The feel is that lots of facts were gathered together and linked with spare prose。 The prose and the facts are interesting and informative but a long way from entertaining， at least for me。Another drawback is that the book is almost entirely focused on Europe and the United States。 There is no exploration of libraries or their history anywhere else except for the very brief discussion of the Library of Alexandria in Africa。 Surely the Muslim world had libraries during the Dark Ages when Europe was basically struggling to simply survive。As I said， this book wasn't my favorite。 Maybe I came to it expecting too much。 I certainly expected more than it gave。 。。。more
Nicole
，
This book was just an absolute delight to read。 I loved every minute of it。 It’s expansive， but despite its sweeping scope， it never gets bogged down。 It’s full of so many amazing little anecdotes and factoids - so many cool little “ah-hah！” moments of enlightenment。 Manuscripts and monasteries！ Parchment vs paper！ Catholics vs Protestants！ The book trade！ The Bodleian！ Andrew Carnegie！ Subscription libraries！ Nazis vs Soviets！ I particularly enjoyed the discussion of the impact of the printing This book was just an absolute delight to read。 I loved every minute of it。 It’s expansive， but despite its sweeping scope， it never gets bogged down。 It’s full of so many amazing little anecdotes and factoids - so many cool little “ah-hah！” moments of enlightenment。 Manuscripts and monasteries！ Parchment vs paper！ Catholics vs Protestants！ The book trade！ The Bodleian！ Andrew Carnegie！ Subscription libraries！ Nazis vs Soviets！ I particularly enjoyed the discussion of the impact of the printing press - that part was really fascinating。 And I also really liked how the authors showed that libraries were rarely passive victims of war （and when it came to destruction， neglect was actually a far more deleterious agent）， but instead were frequently weaponized in battles of competing ideologies and identities。 If I had one critique， it would be that I would have liked a little more on the 20th century， particularly the post WWII to contemporary period， with a little more discussion of the impact of the digital revolution。 This part felt a little rushed to me。 It is also very Euro-centric， but there are interesting forays into other civilizations， especially China and Mesoamerica， as well as an interesting discussion of libraries in colonial and post-revolutionary America。 And alas， I found the narrator， with his deep， thick British accent， very difficult to understand… 。。。more
David Toms
，
I really enjoyed this book from two authors whose work I've read previously。 This book was for a more general audience in terms of book history， although it doesn't skimp on endnotes etc。 Instead though it offers， especially in the final chapters， a compelling argument for libraries into the future as repositories of books as well as digital hubs。 I really enjoyed this book from two authors whose work I've read previously。 This book was for a more general audience in terms of book history， although it doesn't skimp on endnotes etc。 Instead though it offers， especially in the final chapters， a compelling argument for libraries into the future as repositories of books as well as digital hubs。 。。。more
Kirsten Reeder
，
I wanted to love it， because I do love libraries， but I struggled getting through this one。。。 Even on audio。There were some really interesting things in this book， and I feel like I learned a lot， but some of the timeline was confusing， especially since I wasn't seeing it visually。 I wanted to love it， because I do love libraries， but I struggled getting through this one。。。 Even on audio。There were some really interesting things in this book， and I feel like I learned a lot， but some of the timeline was confusing， especially since I wasn't seeing it visually。 。。。more
George
，
Fascinating and detailed exploration of the very complex history of the humble library。 Highly recommended as if nothing else it'll remind you of the true power of the printed word。 Fascinating and detailed exploration of the very complex history of the humble library。 Highly recommended as if nothing else it'll remind you of the true power of the printed word。 。。。more
Carolyn Lochhead
，
This is an exhaustively researched， meticulously detailed account of the library as a concept: from its beginnings， when books were handwritten by enslaved scribes onto parchment and then stored in scrolls within private homes， to the present day。 It charts the changing status of books， from precious status symbols， used to display the wealth and importance of their owners， to ubiquitous items regularly threatened with extinction。Pettegree and der Weduwen explore how libraries are entwined with This is an exhaustively researched， meticulously detailed account of the library as a concept: from its beginnings， when books were handwritten by enslaved scribes onto parchment and then stored in scrolls within private homes， to the present day。 It charts the changing status of books， from precious status symbols， used to display the wealth and importance of their owners， to ubiquitous items regularly threatened with extinction。Pettegree and der Weduwen explore how libraries are entwined with history， as authorities at times tried to ensure people only read what was deemed proper， and at others exercised outright censorship， banning and destroying books that did not support the prevailing orthodoxy。 They show how the same issues come up time and again across geographies and eras: who should have a library？ What books should be in it？ Who should get access？ How should it be paid for？ What are the "right" books？ As a lifelong devotee of the public library， I am glad this book exists。 It is good to know that someone has taken the time to chart the development of these wonderful institutions， from their origins as private repositories of wealth to their modern status as constantly-imperilled community hubs。 I confess I did find it a bit of a slog at times: there is little levity in this historical account， which focuses much more on imparting information than on any hint of entertaining。 But it is a useful reference book， which I will add to the shelves that I may now start referring to as my own private library。 。。。more
Joe
，
4。5。 This was a really enjoyable read。 One of my favorites in recent memory。 Can be a bit long in sections， but overall， it was a great book。
Ben Denison
，
I thought this book was great。Starting in the early age of manuscripts， and manually copying books via scribes。 How this was pretty much just Monks/Priests and centered around religious text， slowly spread to Academic/Universities （still usually religious） and then more spread to Judicial areas。 Early creation of libraries were usually in monasteries/religious institutions， each book CHAINED to a table to avoid theft。 Collections grew to personal libraries for Princes/Kings and or powerful nobil I thought this book was great。Starting in the early age of manuscripts， and manually copying books via scribes。 How this was pretty much just Monks/Priests and centered around religious text， slowly spread to Academic/Universities （still usually religious） and then more spread to Judicial areas。 Early creation of libraries were usually in monasteries/religious institutions， each book CHAINED to a table to avoid theft。 Collections grew to personal libraries for Princes/Kings and or powerful nobility/religious leaders and became a status symbol on how big was one's library。 It then went into the impact on the Printing Press / Guttenberg and how that exploded the number of books and divide between Printed and transcribed。 Interesting stories of how some of the early public collections were from private gifts at death and/or private collection used to pay off debt at death。 I thought one of the key thoughts （and I'll butcher the exact quote） was that "no matter how Passionate the Collector， the collection/library was a mere burden to its recipients upon his passing"。 （This makes me thing of all the things I collect， books， sports memorabilia， etc that will probably just end up in the trash。）Discusses a lot of the early libraries and the set up， 1 book， on 1 table and the slow transformation to stacked books， in bookshelves， etc。 Centered on Oxford University Library as first with a lot of rules like total silence， expanded access for visiting scholars （first kind of public）， Absolutely no flames， or fires （many libraries had been destroyed by fires）， which made me realize these guys didn't have central heating， so these places were basically freezers and people actually injured / froze from lack of heat。Discussed a lot about how war， political/religious takeover caused many books to be destroyed/stolen by the invading armies， and/or new religious leaders （Catholic vs Protestant） basically burning everything before them and back and forth。Into the new age of how the running of libraries changed with more and more library managers being female and how that changed the perspective/curating of books and subjects with a more wide-ranging perspectives。 Discussed traveling libraries， bookmobile， etc especially in Texas （I remember this when i was a kid）。 How in the mid-1900s funding has been a challenge， dwindling use。 The expanding of book topics to secular / disapproved books。。。。。 much discussion/disagreement of what was appropriate and not in a public library， slowly becoming more and more secular。 Also the focus shift on more and more young people。Finally it ends on the changing landscapes of Libraries and their shift toward digital， the dwindling use as the reference resource/reference desk now that google/wikipedia/etc is available。 How the brick and mortar library seems to be losing its importance。 What is the future of libraries in the information age？ Great research， great information， great anecdotes/nuggets to remember。 I really liked this book。 。。。more
❀ Carla ❀
，
A superb overview of the history of libraries。 Loved the initial the beginning quarter in particular that helped set the stage for how libraries came to be and how they changed over the centuries， as well as how libraries impacted political power。 Also loved the last chapter about the modern politics of libraries， and would easily read a whole book on that alone。 My only gripe with the book is how Eurocentric it was， which would be fine， except there are inklings and mentions of research into gl A superb overview of the history of libraries。 Loved the initial the beginning quarter in particular that helped set the stage for how libraries came to be and how they changed over the centuries， as well as how libraries impacted political power。 Also loved the last chapter about the modern politics of libraries， and would easily read a whole book on that alone。 My only gripe with the book is how Eurocentric it was， which would be fine， except there are inklings and mentions of research into global libraries at different points， but they never go in as much depth as discussions about British or American libraries。 Whenever they do， it’s always in relation to the UK or to the US， so it feels very one-sided。 And on a separate note that isn’t the content: I would not have chosen this narrator for this audiobook。 It took me ages to get through the book because he spoke too fast and didn’t enunciate enough， making it very hard to understand him （and mind you， I listened to the audiobook on a much lower speed than what I usually listen in， and even then， it was very hard to grasp his words and follow the story， much to the detriment of the book）。 。。。more
Chris Lund
，
There's a ton of great info here， although sometimes it's a little drier than I'd like， often delving into long lists of statistics and records。 The focus was also a bit heavy on western Europe to the neglect of other parts of the world （which surely also have just as interesting library/book histories）。 I also felt the title was slightly misleading， as this really felt more like a history of books rather than a history of libraries （although， admittedly， there is obviously quite a lot of overla There's a ton of great info here， although sometimes it's a little drier than I'd like， often delving into long lists of statistics and records。 The focus was also a bit heavy on western Europe to the neglect of other parts of the world （which surely also have just as interesting library/book histories）。 I also felt the title was slightly misleading， as this really felt more like a history of books rather than a history of libraries （although， admittedly， there is obviously quite a lot of overlap between the two）。 As a librarian myself， I also felt some of the conclusions were a bit off-base， particularly the seeming dismissal of the technological trends in libraries and the need to rely on the physical book as the central grounding basis of libraries as institutions （don't get me wrong， I love books， but I also accept the inevitable changes in the field）。 I think one sentence encapsulates a fundamental （and unfortunately common） misunderstanding: "Now that we have Wikipedia， Google， and Alexa: the 6 mission questions asked of the reference desk can now be answered without schlepping across town [aka， without needing a librarian]"。 While that might be true for some of those questions， it's far from a universal truth， and suggests a basic misunderstanding of what reference desks do。 Anyway， despite all these flaws， there was a ton of great info in here， and I'm sure I'll be referencing it myself regularly in the future。 Not perfect， but still worth the read。 。。。more
Anne
，
I loved this book。 So much so that having read the ebook， I’ve ordered a paper copy。 This is the sort of book you should hold in paper and put on your library shelf。 Even if your library is tiny。 As you’ll learn reading this， all libraries start somewhere。 The book has philosophy， psychology， politics， history， crime， sociology， cultural theory… it has heroes and real villains… it has laughter and it has quite a few tears。 There is so much stuffed in here - never mind the extensive notes at the I loved this book。 So much so that having read the ebook， I’ve ordered a paper copy。 This is the sort of book you should hold in paper and put on your library shelf。 Even if your library is tiny。 As you’ll learn reading this， all libraries start somewhere。 The book has philosophy， psychology， politics， history， crime， sociology， cultural theory… it has heroes and real villains… it has laughter and it has quite a few tears。 There is so much stuffed in here - never mind the extensive notes at the end。Going from earliest history to the present day， this story evolves from private libraries of the wealthy through a time of few municipal libraries and many subscription libraries。 I knew WH Smith had had a lending library but I’d no idea that Boots the chemist did or that it stocked a lot of Mills & Boon。There is heartbreak through various wars when books are stolen， purloined， or destroyed。 The scenes described of the Nazis destroying Jewish culture are genuinely heartbreaking because the knowledge and the continuity can never be replaced and book burners/pulpers know that。 There have been a huge number of fires and floods that have damaged collections。 But there are also heroes。 People （mainly librarians） who stood up for books and for people’s right to read what they choose。Some of the facts are fascinating。 Manchester library opened in 1852 with Dickens and Thackeray present。 They had 25，000 books and were visited by 4，841 people who borrowed an average of 20 books per year。 In a Polish library， the books on politics were loaned 60 times， the books on trade unionism 3 times and 361 books on literature and drama were borrowed 1，633 times。 I love this kind of information because I’m a nerd。One heartbreaking fact is that after Glasnost in 1989， it was revealed the Soviet Union had 2。5million books they had confiscated ~ mainly from Germany ~ after the war。 They had been piled up， unsorted in a church and had degenerated into unreadable mush。The US Patriot Act requires libraries to give Homeland Security access to readers borrowing history on request。 A new library built in San Francisco was three times the size of the old one but was totally inadequate in shelving and storage so upwards of 200，000 books were skipped。 A sin indeed but the bigger sin was that no one listed which books were discarded or on what basis they had been chosen。 Librarians were horrified and protesters turned up to rescue the books。 It was found many were a single copy in the library system。 I agree with the authors that libraries will survive as long as we use them as they are the perfect place for reflection and for slow thinking。 They also allow you to find books and authors you didn’t know you wanted to read。 And in the current financial climate， they may be one of the few places people can go to stay warm as fuel bills rise to stupid levels。I will definitely read this again and I applaud and thank the authors。I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley 。。。more
Gary Miller
，
The Library， a Fragile History。 I love books about books。 And related items， so when this book came to be published， especially during the time of Covid， at least one copy had to find its way to me， to be read， and sit upon my own humble library shelf for future researches。 A fine book requiring an incredible amount of detailed research。 All this research， kindly presented， gives us a terrific understanding of just how fragile one of our most precious resources， the Public Library， is。This book The Library， a Fragile History。 I love books about books。 And related items， so when this book came to be published， especially during the time of Covid， at least one copy had to find its way to me， to be read， and sit upon my own humble library shelf for future researches。 A fine book requiring an incredible amount of detailed research。 All this research， kindly presented， gives us a terrific understanding of just how fragile one of our most precious resources， the Public Library， is。This book also has a great deal about private library collections， which often become public， and sadly are often lost， destroyed， dispersed， due to a lack of funding to maintain them over time。 One would think such a book has to be depressing。 However， there is a great deal to be optimistic about。 Librarians， when they want to be， can become very clever， flexible， and often even outwit damaging groups such as town councils， religious factions， censors of all types， government agencies and even when needed， the dreaded FBI and with its cursed Patriot Act， insisting on knowing what each of us us reading！ There is also a good discussion of the American Library Association （ALA）， their successes， and their failures to lead， or sadly even keep up with important civil rights issues。So many things have tried to replace books， and （happily） failed。 Libraries， often under pressures， internal and external have also proved difficult to totally destroy， even in repressive countries。 From the times of Alexandria to the， Church and their struggles， Jew haters， later the Nazi’s， Socialist’s， Communist’s， and God knows who else is next。 Makes me want to reread my Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451。 Or at least slip it back into the top of my TBR stack。 Well written， interesting， hopeful， a lovely five star book。 。。。more
✨arrianne✨
，
This was ok， but as somebody who loves books and libraries （I was a volunteer librarian in my school library at lunchtime and it might have been the pinnacle of my professional career） it was a bit dull and weirdly structured。 It focussed on boring things for extended periods of time and I just wanted。。。a different book。
Rhonda
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Good book。 Very informative。
James S。
，
The Library: A Tedious History
Shandra
，
DNF @ 52%
Lila
，
The history of libraries is a history of library destruction， be it wars， fires， censorship， decay， or technology-crazed administrators。 The authors track these various threats to our free access to books through history。
Simon Bradley
，
A very readable and concise history of books and the library that takes in so many other subjects which only add to its interest - subjects almost as varied as the those covered in the libraries it discusses。 Definitely a book pitched at the layman who loves books rather than for any kind of expert in the field。 The many fun and shocking stories add to the enjoyment。 Human ingenuity and folly at is best shown for all to see！
Richard Marney
，
Actually sat in an old university college library to read much of the book yesterday。 Quite fitting！！An interesting change of pace for history lovers and especially for all of us in the GoodReads community。 A history of books and the special places where they rest。 What did strike me was how close we came in the Dark Ages to losing a precious and irreplaceable heritage of human thought。 Let’s be vigilant the next time around！
Colin
，
A wonderful history of libraries， and the concept of libraries， focused on the Western tradition， from papyrus scrolls to modern public and private libraries - and just how fragile the traditions associated with libraries can be！
Kathleen McRae
，
I loved the idea of this book and certainly It did have some interesting information but the story gets skewed when all the references are how males dominated。 Here is an example…。。” By 1550 one hundred years after the invention of printing Europe was awash in books。 More books had had been created in the last one hundred years than in the whole history of mankind “ How can I read a book that does not paint an accurate picture。 Where are the woman and the correct term should be humankind。 A true I loved the idea of this book and certainly It did have some interesting information but the story gets skewed when all the references are how males dominated。 Here is an example…。。” By 1550 one hundred years after the invention of printing Europe was awash in books。 More books had had been created in the last one hundred years than in the whole history of mankind “ How can I read a book that does not paint an accurate picture。 Where are the woman and the correct term should be humankind。 A true history doesn’t veil the fact that women ere excluded with virtually no voice and this book also should include the fact that only the wealthy could afford books or even the education to read one。 。。。more
Joel Everett
，
An excellent history of the Library from ancient history to present day; although other reviewers have complained of it being a "dry" read， I did not find that to be the case。 The first half of the book focuses on individual collectors and the various 'methods' upon which books were acquired; the latter half of the book deals with the Library as it took on the form of the current institution we know today。 At 414 pages it is a rather hefty read， but still very enjoyable especially if you are som An excellent history of the Library from ancient history to present day; although other reviewers have complained of it being a "dry" read， I did not find that to be the case。 The first half of the book focuses on individual collectors and the various 'methods' upon which books were acquired; the latter half of the book deals with the Library as it took on the form of the current institution we know today。 At 414 pages it is a rather hefty read， but still very enjoyable especially if you are something of a bibliophile。 。。。more
Gail Burgess
，