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The Library

A Fragile History

The Library Open the full-size image

Contributors

By Andrew Pettegree

By Arthur der Weduwen

Read by Sean Barrett

Formats and Prices

Price

$31.99

Format

Format:

  1. Audiobook Download (Unabridged) $31.99
  2. ebook $15.99 $20.99 CAD
  3. Hardcover $35.00 $44.00 CAD
  4. Trade Paperback $22.99 $29.99 CAD

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around November 9, 2021. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

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Perfect for book lovers, this is a fascinating exploration of the history of libraries and the people who built them, from the ancient world to the digital age.
 
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 The Library, historians Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen introduce us to the antiquarians and philanthropists who shaped the world’s great collections, trace the rise and fall of literary tastes, and reveal the high crimes and misdemeanors committed in pursuit of rare manuscripts. In doing so, they reveal that while collections themselves are fragile, often falling into ruin within a few decades, the idea of the library has been remarkably resilient as each generation makes—and remakes—the institution anew. 
 
Beautifully written and deeply researched, The Library is essential reading for booklovers, collectors, and anyone who has ever gotten blissfully lost in the stacks. 

Genre:

  • "What is a ‘library’? Is it a mute display of personal wealth and power, or of a humble devotion to God? A routine community resource, or a waste of taxpayers’ money? In The Library, we are led nimbly through the centuries, seeing how it has been all of these things and more, as the authors place on the shelf a cornucopia of bookish history."
     
    Judith Flanders, author of A Place for Everything
  • "A sweeping, absorbing history, deeply researched, of that extraordinary and enduring phenomenon: the library."
    Richard Ovenden, University of Oxford

On Sale
Nov 9, 2021
Publisher
Hachette Audio
ISBN-13
9781549139857

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Andrew Pettegree

About the Author

Andrew Pettegree is a professor of modern history at the University of St. Andrews. A leading expert on the history of book and media transformations, Pettegree is the award-winning author of several books on news and information culture, including The Library: A Fragile History (with Arthur der Weduwen). He lives in Scotland. 

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Arthur der Weduwen

About the Author

Arthur der Weduwen is a historian and postdoctoral fellow at St. Andrews, where he serves as an associate editor of the Universal Short Title Catalogue. He lives in Scotland.

Learn more about this author