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4th out of 232 books
—
44 voters
Library: An Unquiet History
On the survival and destruction of knowledge, from Alexandria to the Internet. Through the ages, libraries have not only accumulated and preserved but also shaped, inspired, and obliterated knowledge. Matthew Battles, a rare books librarian and a gifted narrator, takes us on a spirited foray from Boston to Baghdad, from classical scriptoria to medieval monasteries, from th...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
June 17th 2004
by W. W. Norton & Company
(first published 2003)
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Sep 24, 2007
Joe
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people with insomnia
Shelves:
own,
non-fiction
Library: An Unquiet History had such great potential. The collective histories of books, intellectual freedom, and censorship are testaments to man's triumphs and faults.
Unfortunately, this history is told by Matthew Battles, who could possibly be the most pretentious man alive.
Instead of telling the story, Battles piles fact onto fact and strings them together in a loose narrative that never becomes remotely cogent. It comes across as Battles standing on a dais, thumbing his nose, and singing,...more
Unfortunately, this history is told by Matthew Battles, who could possibly be the most pretentious man alive.
Instead of telling the story, Battles piles fact onto fact and strings them together in a loose narrative that never becomes remotely cogent. It comes across as Battles standing on a dais, thumbing his nose, and singing,...more
11 likes · like · see review
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I have given myself a personal challenge to read the books I own. They sit on my shelf at home staring at me accusingly and expectantly. I trot in and out the door with my stack of library books or snuggle on the couch with my Kindle. In my head I say, "I own them. They will wait for me." If books had feelings the books on my shelves would reek of abandonment, insecurity, jealousy. It is time to give them the attention they deserve.
I bought this particular book in 2004 at the Harvard Coop. I was...more
I bought this particular book in 2004 at the Harvard Coop. I was...more
1 like · like · see review
Dec 11, 2012
Mel
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
21st-century-non-fiction,
library
I was loaned this book from one of the people at work. I was quite dissapointed, I was hoping for an interesting social history about libraries but instead got a rather dry normal history. The book took different approaches to books and libraries throught time. The book wanted to look at the intelectual history of the book, but focused in on rather small areas and didn't do a good job of relating these to each other or greater movements or any of the socio-political things happening in the world...more
As I approach the end of my two and a half year path through library school, I find myself reflecting back a bit on just what it is I'm doing. There's an unspoken battle going on in libraries today, a battle over where the future lies. In one class, my professor says that libraries will no longer have books in them within ten years. In another, a professor who says books - that is, the codex - will be with us for years and years to come. Such battles have raged before, of course, with progress a...more
The history of the written word, how it is stored, and how it is shared among populations could/should make for a fascinating story that parallels the growth of humanity. Unfortunately, Matthew Battles does not tell that story. Instead, he tells a few stories of libraries he thinks are significant (mostly in the colonial US and England) in incredibly tedious detail. Omitted are the cultures of education and democracy around the world and how they are seen through libraries (unless they burn book...more
Matthew Battles chronicles mankind's uneven efforts to pass our accumulated knowledge from generation to generation to generation.
He covers the evolution of "books", from clay tablets to beeswax tablets to papyrus to sheepskin parchment to cloud servers. He covers the evolution of libraries, from Alexandria to Rome to Sarajevo to Britain and finally to modern America.
If all of that sounds too dry - it wasn't! He had fascinating stories to bring library history to life. He recounts what really ha...more
He covers the evolution of "books", from clay tablets to beeswax tablets to papyrus to sheepskin parchment to cloud servers. He covers the evolution of libraries, from Alexandria to Rome to Sarajevo to Britain and finally to modern America.
If all of that sounds too dry - it wasn't! He had fascinating stories to bring library history to life. He recounts what really ha...more
Matthew Battle’s book about libraries took me ages to read because for the first time in months I had to read a book and somehow the requirement made the reading feel like a burden. It ought not to have, Library considers topics I find fascinating: the institutionalization of knowledge; the determination of how best to represent, preserve and promote culture/cultural artifacts; the violence inherent in the control of information; the political power attained and wielded through public institutio...more
"The world shifts again in its modes, tending more and more to dwell in pixels and bits instead of paper and ink."
As an MLIS student (and calligraphy student at NY's Society of Scribes) I had to read this book. Battles made the history of library science come alive with detailed research and interesting narration. From Alexandria to the Library of Congress. An interesting read for anyone interested in libraries, the history of information access, artisan book craft and the future modes of knowl...more
As an MLIS student (and calligraphy student at NY's Society of Scribes) I had to read this book. Battles made the history of library science come alive with detailed research and interesting narration. From Alexandria to the Library of Congress. An interesting read for anyone interested in libraries, the history of information access, artisan book craft and the future modes of knowl...more
Book review: Matthew Battles "Library: an unquiet history," W.W. Norton, 2003.
There are few books that are truly memorable, that I've learned so much from. Two have altered my perception of history: Matthew Battles's "Library: an unquiet history" (W.W. Norton, 2003) and Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully's "Shattered sword; the untold story of the battle of Midway" (Potomac Books, 2005).
I cannot say I was not well read on the subjects of two major events in the history of World War II, namely...more
There are few books that are truly memorable, that I've learned so much from. Two have altered my perception of history: Matthew Battles's "Library: an unquiet history" (W.W. Norton, 2003) and Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully's "Shattered sword; the untold story of the battle of Midway" (Potomac Books, 2005).
I cannot say I was not well read on the subjects of two major events in the history of World War II, namely...more
Library: An Unquiet History. Matthew Battles. 2003. Norton. 227 pages. ISBN 0393325644.
Library: An Unquiet History is a short, compact volume on the history of libraries throughout the ages. At the time the book was published, author Matthew Battles worked for Houghton Library and the rare-books library at Harvard.
Library begins with an engaging introduction that will appeal to book lovers and provides an insider's look at Harvard University's library. Battles describes his experience with the W...more
Library: An Unquiet History is a short, compact volume on the history of libraries throughout the ages. At the time the book was published, author Matthew Battles worked for Houghton Library and the rare-books library at Harvard.
Library begins with an engaging introduction that will appeal to book lovers and provides an insider's look at Harvard University's library. Battles describes his experience with the W...more
May 06, 2010
Michael
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Librarians, Library Users, Book lovers
Recommended to Michael by:
The LOC classification system
Shelves:
information-science,
popular-history
This is a lovingly subjective account of man's relationship with information, and the corresponding rise of a curious institution dedicated to collecting that information and making it accessible. It crosses centuries and cultures, and the reader will learn of many different perspectives on the power of books and words, and learn to see some of the flaws in those under-girding our modern concept of the library. It includes discussions of attacks on books and libraries, including the (somewhat my...more
As a library student and enjoyer of library history, I found Mr. Battles book a mixed bag. On one hand, I can understand that it is difficult to pick through the endless minutiae of library history for the bits that provide an interesting narrative, on the other hand I did not feel I got a well-rounded history of libraries with this book.
For one thing, Battles spend much time, especially in the early part of the book, discussing history of ancient intellectualism. While the library and academic...more
For one thing, Battles spend much time, especially in the early part of the book, discussing history of ancient intellectualism. While the library and academic...more
This book is an example of one you need to get fifty pages into before you make a decision whether or not to continue with it. At about forty pages I was ready to give up, but at fifty pages, I started to get interested. You probably need to be a library-lover to want to read this book. You'll have to slog through a lot of boring stuff to get to the interesting nuggets. It wasn't what I expected, which was a history of the U.S. library. It was a worldwide history of the library. Libraries were f...more
Library: An Unquiet History is a book about the history of libraries, but in a bigger sense about the history of the written word, and the way in which we've treated it, sometimes despised it, and sometimes tried to erase or otherwise shape our histories and our realities by the which in way we preserve it.
On the plus side, I learned a lot, and was also presented with a lot to think about in areas I'd taken for granted. The purposes libraries serve and have served change over time, for example,...more
On the plus side, I learned a lot, and was also presented with a lot to think about in areas I'd taken for granted. The purposes libraries serve and have served change over time, for example,...more
I don't know much about the history of libraries, but this felt like a good overview. The focus is on Western libraries, but I also learned about Eastern libraries.
I had no idea that the China had the precursor to the printing press long before Gutenberg.
The book starts with ancient libraries, covering what constituted a library, how books were obtained, what librarians looked for, etc.
There is a gradual transition into competing theories of librarianship, and here the focus is almost exclusi...more
I had no idea that the China had the precursor to the printing press long before Gutenberg.
The book starts with ancient libraries, covering what constituted a library, how books were obtained, what librarians looked for, etc.
There is a gradual transition into competing theories of librarianship, and here the focus is almost exclusi...more
More a meditative meandering through the literary world than a traditional history, I found the first seventy pages slow and disjointed (and almost put the book down numerous times). Once Mr. Battles gets to the Renaissance, however, he finds his voice and manages to salvage the book. His tendency to use big, unnecessary words (yes, I get it, you’re smart; now try for clarity) and a lack of a strong central theme stifle the book’s potential, especially because the strongest parts of the book are...more
This is a good book, but a very personal book. Not personal in the sense of revealing truths about its author, but personal in its eclectic selection of vignettes from the long course of the history of such institutions. Each story is well-told, although not exhaustively (who would expect that in 200 pages?).
Still, I couldn't find that central unifying thesis that justifies this work. What did the author want to say? Actually, a half a dozen things, maybe more, about libraries. Each of his ideas...more
Still, I couldn't find that central unifying thesis that justifies this work. What did the author want to say? Actually, a half a dozen things, maybe more, about libraries. Each of his ideas...more
1 like · like · see review
A brief book about library history with a bit of book binding/printing history thrown into the mix. I wished the author went into further detail because I often found myself wanting to know more. It's a breeze through story of the turbulent times of various libraries throughout history and some of the people that helped to develop the concept of the modern day lending library institution. There were ramblings that were boring and unnecessary, for example: the section about Jonathan Swift seemed...more
Feb 24, 2008
Elizabeth
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
other people who like books on libraries
Shelves:
books-on-books
I love books about libraries. This was a particularly good one. One thing I'll remember about it is its discussion of the irony of the library: you go there and you are simultaneously impressed and filled with the sheer multitude and richness of the books offered, but also the deprivation of knowing that you can only read so few of them.
This is a very competent, but in the end entirely workmanlike history of libraries through history, with a very heavy bias for the history of cultures that fall under the Abrahamic religious purview. With a subtitle like "An Unquiet History," you really expect some sparkle, but in that you would be mistaken. Rather, I think the subtitle is aimed at the lay reader who knows the library only as a stereotype. Anyone with a passing knowledge of history or indeed the inner working of libraries, will...more
OK, so I only picked this up because I’m starting a library course, but it’s actually a lovely little meander through the history of the library as an institution, stopping off briefly in things like the beginnings of efficient cataloguing methods (surprisingly recent!) and the development of the book as a physical medium, over scrolls, tablets etc.
The history of libraries under Nazism I found interesting, I wasn’t aware of how far libraries capitulated under the Nazi’s anti cultural bias, essen...more
The history of libraries under Nazism I found interesting, I wasn’t aware of how far libraries capitulated under the Nazi’s anti cultural bias, essen...more
Fascinating and readable history of books, libraries and librarians. During the first half of the book, I found myself reading portions aloud to others, the second half dragged a bit. Nevertheless, I recommend.
Not as dry as it sounds. Libraries have been built and destroyed throughout history. Libraries are centers of information and knowledge but concentrations of books seen as a threat to absolute power. Chinese Emperors to the Nazi burned books destroying great libraries because they were a threat. Thinking about it in abstract--paper and leather bindings and the words and ideas inside are viewed as such threats that they must be destroyed. Another riveting moment when during the siege of Sarajevo...more
Feb 23, 2010
Melissa
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
challenge-winter09,
non-fiction
An interesting look at libraries, past and present. The author's rather florid style discusses the evolution of ancient libraries and how they dispersed; the creation of the librarian not only as caretaker of books but as authority on their contained wisdom; how this authority sometimes breeds authoritarianism and censorship; and how libraries become more than just buildings or collections of books, but reflect the intent of the collector and become symbols of a civilization or a culture. I foun...more
Very enjoyable history of libraries. Would recommend to anyone interested in libraries, literature, or history.
More like 2 1/2 stars. I might have enjoyed this more, if I had read it, instead of listened to it. After reading some of the other reviews here, though, can't be all that sure of that.
Some of the information was very interesting as we leaped around throughout history looking at the various beginnings of libraries, censorship, book burnings and preservation of books. Unfortunately, the author took off on so many tangents about the intellectual pursuits of a time period, quoting (sometimes in hug...more
Some of the information was very interesting as we leaped around throughout history looking at the various beginnings of libraries, censorship, book burnings and preservation of books. Unfortunately, the author took off on so many tangents about the intellectual pursuits of a time period, quoting (sometimes in hug...more
I think... I think on second reading I would rate this book higher, but right now I need to chew over what it said. It's very dense, rewarding but difficult to plow through, and definitely not for the faint of heart or anyone not interested in libraries. It does have quite a few funny anecdotes, although it's hard to get to them.
I think that if I want to really enjoy the book, I need to get my own copy and underline things, and take a couple of months to get through it. I will say more when I u...more
I think that if I want to really enjoy the book, I need to get my own copy and underline things, and take a couple of months to get through it. I will say more when I u...more
Library is by a book-lover, and written for book-lovers. Matthew Battles takes the reader on a rambling romp through the history of libraries throughout the world, from great libraries such as Alexandria, to the humble home and lending libraries that helped educate those in the United States in areas that didn't have libraries of their own.
Along the way, he explores the meaning of libraries - to politicians, to religions, in times of peace and times of war, and along the way, perhaps manages to...more
Along the way, he explores the meaning of libraries - to politicians, to religions, in times of peace and times of war, and along the way, perhaps manages to...more
On the survival and destruction of knowledge, from Alexandria to the Internet. Through the ages, libraries have not only accumulated and preserved but also shaped, inspired, and obliterated knowledge. Matthew Battles, a rare books librarian and a gifted narrator, takes us on a spirited foray from Boston to Baghdad, from classical scriptoria to medieval monasteries, from the Vatican to the British Library, from socialist reading rooms and rural home libraries to the Information Age.
He explores ho...more
He explores ho...more
In Library: An Unquiet History, Matthew Battles attempts to do something that, to a great many people, may seem nearly impossible: He attempts to make the history of libraries interesting, and surprisingly, he mostly succeeds. Writing with great free-flowing flare, he turns this book into a journalistic endeavor that borders on narrative and takes the reader on a journey from the times of ancient Mesopotamia to the twenty-first century, doing so in a concise and relatively brief manner, which do...more
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“The middle ages did not care much for alphabetical order, because they were committed to rational order. To the medieval mind, the universe [is] a harmonious whole whose parts are related to one another. It was the responsibility of the author or scholar to discern these rational relationships -- of hierarchy, or of chronology, or of similarities and differences, and so forth.”
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2 people liked it
“Roger Bacon held that three classes of substance were capable of magic: the herbal, the mineral, and the verbal. With their leaves of fiber, their inks of copperas and soot, and their words, books are an amalgam of the three.”
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2 people liked it
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