A historical survey of the destruction of knowledge from ancient Babylon and China to modern times - Includes the three separate destructions of the Library of Alexandria as well as many equally significant collections around the world - Examines the causes of violence directed at repositories of knowledge - Looks at the dangers posed by digitalization of books to the free availability of knowledge in the future Hebrew, Hindu, Nordic, and Islamic traditions share the belief of a vast library existing before the creation of the world.
The Vedas say that this library predated the creator's creation of himself. Yet, almost as old as the idea of the library is the urge to destroy it. The reasons cited for this are many: educated people are much harder to govern, and some proclaim that only the illiterate can save the world. There are also great destructions brought about by weather, worms, and even the paranoia of the library's owner. Books on Fire traces the history of this perpetual destruction from the burning of the great library of Alexandria (on three separate occasions) and the libraries of the Chinese Qing Dynasty to more modern catastrophic losses such as those witnessed in Nazi-occupied Europe and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The author examines the causes for these disasters, the treasures that have been lost, and where the surviving books, if any, have ended up. His investigation also reveals a new danger facing libraries today with the digitalization of books threatening both the existence of the physical paper book and the very idea of reading for free.
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Un studiu istoric al distrugerii cunoștințelor din Babilonul Antic și China până în epoca modernă - Include cele trei distrugeri separate ale Bibliotecii din Alexandria, precum și multe colecții la fel de semnificative din întreaga lume - Examinează cauzele violenței îndreptate către depozitele de cunoștințe la pericolele pe care le reprezintă digitalizarea cărților pentru disponibilitatea gratuită a cunoștințelor în viitoarele tradiții ebraice, hinduse, nordice și islamice împărtășesc credința unei vaste biblioteci existente înainte de crearea lumii.