Customer Reviews

The Vanished Library, A Wonder of the Ancient World

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Almost certainly, no other ancient institution has caught the modern imagination so much as has The Library of Alexandria. Begun around 300BC, this remarkable establishment became _the_ center of learning and scholarship in the Mediterranean world for hundreds of years thereafter. Our debt to the great library is incalculable; to it we owe the Septuagint (the Greek translations of the Old Testament), the standardization of Homer and Hesiod to their final forms, and the survival of the great Greek thinkers (Plato, Aristotle) to modern times. The beginnings of modern thought -- science, philosophy, mathematics, medicine -- can all be traced to this unique collection and the people who were a part of its scholarly society. It was the home to writers and thinkers that we are familiar with (Polybius, Appollonius Rhodius) and to far more that we are not but should (Theophrastus, Neleus). And its demise ranks as one of the greatest tragedies in Western history.

In The Vanished Library, Luciano Ganfora (translated here by Martin Ryle) gives a popular account of the history of the Library, from its founding and shadowy beginnings, all the way up to its decline and destruction centuries later. But what makes this book interesting is that Ganfora resists the temptation to slip into the academic spouting of facts, figures, and theories at every opportunity. Rather, his aim is to not only show the reader the library, but to give one a feel for what it was like to _be_ there, to work among the thousands of scrolls, and to live the life of the ancient Greek scholar. His research is grounded firmly in the original sources, many of which he discusses at length in the book's appendix and several of which he quotes at length. The book sometime feels like a novel, because Ganfora frequently adopts a storyteller's tone in order to illustrate some aspect he wishes us to explore. Occasionally, Ganfora also digresses into some of the more controversial areas of the Library's history; he argues, for instance, that Caesar's sacking of Alexandria during the Roman Civil Wars did not destroy the library as many scholars insist, but rather destroyed an annex that was used to house finished scrolls meant for export across the Mediterranean (the Library being also a major source for the dissemination of literary works across the known world). But none of this detracts from the book itself. It does a very good job of introducing one to the subject of the Library and what we know about it, and makes for a rather delightful read along the way.

This is not to say that this is the best introductory book on the subject out there; in my opinion, that would have to go to Derek Adie Flower's The Shores of Wisdom. Ganfora does skip over whole areas of the Library's history that Flower does not, and goes more in depth than Ganfora on some of the academic arguments surrounding such subjects as the Library's demise and its impact on Western culture. But Ganfora's book is easier to read for the layperson, and shorter -- one could read it cover-to-cover in literally a single sitting. And I think Ganfora does a better job of evoking the sense of just what the Library was like than Flower. For this reason I would recommend this book _along with_ The Shores of Wisdom; both work as complementary pieces, with the short comings of the one made up in the other.

I found this book both informative, as well as, a joy to read. That is because most of it reads more like a novel than a formal academic study. This is done to put the reader into the overall cultural mindset of Alexandria and the library at various points in it's almost 1000 year history.

Having done my own research on this topic in college I can vouch for the accuracy and completeness of the author's research. The truth is that there is very little surviving hard data about this institution (and absolutely no surviving archeological evidence.) There is however an original revelation that the layout of the Museum may very well have imitated that of the Ramesseum at Thebes. This is due to the fact that the Greek rulers of the Ptolemaic period adhered closely to classical Egyptian forms- at least in a superficial and material manner.

This book clears up some popular misconceptions. First of all, there was no "library" as a separate institution or structure. It was always an inseparable part of the overall Museum. Secondly, the Museum was in no sense a secular institution. It was truly a temple to the Muses, and Holy Wisdom, with sacred functions. Even under Roman control it continued to be administered by a priest.

Finally, it would seem that the Romans had nothing to do with the burning of the Museum, indeed there was no damage during the Roman conquest. The greatest damage is shown to have been done in late antiquity at the hands of Christian fanatics- like so many simular of cases of the mindless destruction of our classical heritage.

From the beginning of this book, we are treated to historical references [in order of their occurrance] to the famous Library at Alexandria, with an eye toward clearing up the fundamental mysteries surrounding it: where was the Library located? What was its place in ancient culture? And, finally, when and how many times was it really destroyed?

An enjoyable and profound read, part history, part mystery; a refreshing change from the dry texts of collegiate studies. A book that engages the imagination as well as the intellect. An excellent piece of detective work.

I loved it.

I honestly enjoyed this book. At first it seems quite disjointed and jumpy, more a series of random anecdotes than any sort of linear history. However, it builds as it goes along. The anecdotes become engrossing and amusing, and eventually a lot of it fits together to make some important points. It refutes the idea that the library was burned by Caesar, or that it even contained its original collection by the time it was burned by conquering Moslems. It also gives a picture of how and where the library was housed within the palace walls, which has often been a subject of confusion. The topic is overall fascinating, so that even those of us who aren't familiar with the many classical names that flit in and out of these chapters can get something out of it all. This may not be the definitive book on the subject (anybody want to write one?), but it is well worth perusing.

Perhaps because its transalation from the original Italian, Canfora's book was for me virtually unreadable. It scores low on factual detail and all too often suffers because it seems to place form over content, which (to my mind) is a perennial failing of Italian intellectualism (the worst kind - maybe even worst than the French variety). I bought this book, through Amazon, with a desire to be informed, enlightened and delighted by the fascinating story of the great library of Alexandria. I especially wanted to learn about its famous head librarian, Erastosthenes, who amongst other achievements is said to have devised a way of measuring the earth's diameter, circa 200 BC. Two lines, at most! I ended up abandoning the book without even finishing it, such is its prolix, garbled and irritating stylistic presentation. Did I somehow fail to understand, prior to buying the book, that its narrative was not going to straightforward and factual anyhow, but more of a 'literary fantasia' based upon the theme of the Alexandrian library? Perhaps. Anyhow, it's NOT recommended bedtime reading - or at any other time. By the way - if anyone knows about Erastosthenes, email me at JDL@indigo.ie

This is not a work for the person who likes watered-down beer. It is a critical examination of some aspects of the history of the Library of Alexandria, its strengths and weaknesses, its destruction, its relation to other libraries in Egypt and beyond. Along the way, Canfora offers a solution to the riddle of the library of Ramses II, and he roughs up some historians who badly need it -- like Diodorus Siculus and Gibbon, and he offers imaginative reconstructions of events.

Several interesting points are explored: the political tilt of Hecataeus (accounting for his view that ancient law-givers of Greece got their laws from Egypt); the fabrications of Diodorus Siculus; etc.

Diodorus is revealed as the scamp he was. Though claiming a methodology from Polybius (he even cadged Polybius' introduction, word for word), Diodorus never made any of the trips he claimed to have made -- with the exception of Egypt. There, he weaves in Hecataeus' description of Ramses II's temple (including its vagaries), and presents it as his own observation, based on representations from the Egyptian priests there. Of course, Diodorus' history is one long cadging, as Pliny pointed out, but this episode brings into question whether he ever used priests as informants -- he has the priests telling him that Egyptians colonized all the Mediterranean and even Babylonia, and that Ramses II fought in Bactria (Afghanistan!!). This one-ups Hecataeus' politically inspired fabrications. The relationship to the more extreme current Afrocentric views is obvious, because Diodorus is one of their linchpins. Even Diodorus' description of the palace at Alexandria doesn't contain a description of the Museum (and thus, not the library) -- was this because he was relegated to the daughter library of the Serapeum, or because he wanted to obsure the fact that he was writing (contra to his Polybian assertions) a library dissertation built exclusively on the work of others?

A real treat, from a first-class scholar.

I just couldn't put it down. The first chapters are puzzling and one wonders why Canfora chose this unusual structure for his book. But like a suspense writer, he gives the reader one clue after an other and suddenly everything makes sense. In retrospect one even beliefs that this study could not have been written in a more succinct and lucid way. I finished the 200 pages in five hours and felt like I had read a whole library.

The Vanished Library by Luciano Canfora (translated by Martin Ryle) is essentially a journal article masquerading as a book. It would have been more effective if it had been trimmed a little (there is some repetition) and published in a journal or beefed up by giving much needed context to the discussion to form a true book of history. To enjoy this book a reader will have to already be familiar with the arguments surrounding the library at Alexandria and all the ancient sources that discuss it. With the limited knowledge I possess, sometimes it grew confusing, as for instance, when the author would often move back and forth entire centuries in a single paragraph. For those involved in their own arguments on this debate concerning the famous anceint library, this could be an interesting (or frustrating) book. For everyone else, it could be just frustrating.

Professor Canfora's book is filled all manner of information, creative insights, and interesting solutions to old puzzles. Several reviewers suggest that it is a creative piece of history done in the style of a novel. A mystery novel, perhaps, for what appears to be a work on the library of Alexandria proves, in the end, to be a reflection upon the nature and lot of ancient libraries generally: "great concentrations of books, usually found in the centers of power, were the main victims of these destructive outbreaks, ruinous attacks, sackings, and fires." Thus, there is no unsolved mystery about what happened to the library at Alexandria, and those in other places, nor who was "responsible" for its or their destruction, as though some form of ignorant barbarism or religious fanaticism might be blamed for the "destruction" of ancient knowledge. Unfortunately Canfora's fascinating presentation is scattered across 197 pages in a way that's not always easy to follow, even for someone with the knowledge of the history and literature involved. And there is one page, 87, which is utterly baffling. The activities of Queen Zenobia of Palmyra and the Emperor Aurelian are dated to thirty-five years before the encounter of Amrou and John Philoponus. A misprint for three hundred and fifty? There shortly follows the author's declaration that the "celebrated Hypatia" was "barbarously murdered" by Christians "convinced in their ignorance" that she was a heretic. Hypatia was a noted Neoplaonist, but not a Christian (one must first be a believer to be a heretic!), and had turned the pagan prefect against the Christians during a time of violence between pagans, Jews, and Christians in the city. (Canfora here seems to have forgotten his own earlier observation about the propensity of Alexandrians for religion-inspired violence.) And at the bottom of the page he declares that, in the early 600s C.E., Greek "was increasingly a forgotten language" in that Byzantine city and that the texts in the library "consisted chiefly of patristic writings, Acts of Councils, and 'sacred literature' in general." He cites no source or support for either of the latter claims. They are oddly passionate in the midst of his otherwise scholarly presentation.

Three hundred years before Christ, the Ptolemy dynasty of Egypt used their enormous wealth to undertake a breathtaking enterprise -- the creation of a great library to contain every book ever written. An immense "museum" was constructed in Alexandria, stuffed with millions of scrolls -- the vast wealth of human literature of every type. Scholars translated the scrolls into Greek, and then later into Latin -- religious texts from Judaism, Zoroastroism, plays, poetry, histories, epics, speeches, philosophy -- humanity's greatest achievements, archived deep within the Ramses II sarcophogous, next to the famous statue of Ozymandius. In the year 48 AD Alexandria was sacked by Julius Caesar. The fire from burning ships in the harbor spread to the town and burned the great library -- incinerating the great treasure of human writings. Luciano Canfora teases threads from the many accounts of the almost mythical story to arrive at a strange conclusion -- the most valuable papyrus scrolls remained within the dilapidated tomb for another six centuries -- until the final 54,000 surviving books were burned at the order of Muslim conquers in order to heat the town's baths. Today, we have only a few scraps -- copied from the few moth-eaten and almost unreadable scrolls that escaped destruction. Canfora's beautiful story blends fictional re-enactment with careful research to create a compelling and magical account of what may be civilization's greatest catastrophe. If you enjoy the smell of ashes, you might want to return to one of my personal favorites -- Kenneth Clark's -- Civilization.

--Auralgo