The Library
Subtitle: An Illustrated History
Edition: ALA edition
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing; ALA Editions; Skyhorse Pub.
Published: 2009
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 310
ISBN-13: 9780838909911
Copyright date: 2009
First sentence: On a December night in 1853, gangs of diggers labored with pick and shovel by the light of oil lamps to fill baskets and handcarts with sandy rubble.
Description: "The first libraries appeared five thousand years ago in Southwest Asia's 'Fertile Crescent'... the birthplace of writing, some time before 3000 BCE," writes Stuart A. P. Murray, introducing his fascinating exploration into the history of the library. With the dawning of advanced civilization, the written word flourished and the need for libraries became paramount in many societies.

Throughout the history of the world, libraries have been constructed, burned, discovered, raided, and cherished —while the treasures they housed evolved from early stone tablets, to beautifully illumined vellum, and to the mass-produced, bound paper books and the digital formats of our present day. *The Library* opens doors to the libraries of ancient Greece, early China, Renaissance England, and modern-day America. This volume speaks to the book lover in all of us while offering a panoramic view of the history of libraries across the centuries.

Incorporating beautiful illustrations, insightful quotations, and descriptions of many marvellous libraries —their books, patrons, and keepers— *The Library* is certain to provide a wealth of knowledge and enjoyment. Published with the cooperation of the American Library Association and with an introduction by Donald G. Davis, Jr. and a foreword by bestselling author Nicholas A. Basbanes, Stuart A. P. Murray's *The Library* takes the reader on a compelling and informative journey through the dynamic history of our beloved libraries.
Notes: Co-published by Skyhorse Publishing, New York, NY and ALA Editions, Chicago, IL.
Table of contents: title: Foreword
pagenum: vii; title: Introduction
pagenum: ix; label: 1
title: The Ancient Libraries
pagenum: 3; label: 2
title: European Libraries of the Middle Ages
pagenum: 23; label: 3
title: Asia and Islam
pagenum: 43; label: 4
title: Europe's High Middle Ages
pagenum: 59; label: 5
title: Renaissance to Reformation
pagenum: 77; label: 6
title: People of the Book
pagenum: 97; label: 7
title: War and a Golden Age
pagenum: 115; label: 8
title: The Library in Colonial North America
pagenum: 135; label: 9
title: The Library in the Young United States
pagenum: 153; label: 10
title: The Library Movement
pagenum: 173; label: 11
title: Organizing Knowledge
pagenum: 193; label: 12
title: Libraries, Librarians, and Media Centers
pagenum: 215; title: Libraries of the World
pagenum: 235; title: Acknowledgments
pagenum: 305; title: Sources
pagenum: 305; title: For Further Reading
pagenum: 306; title: Index
pagenum: 308