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The Library of Alexandria: The History and Legacy of the Ancient World’s Most Famous Library Paperback – February 15, 2014

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*Includes pictures depicting important people, places, and events.
*Includes ancient accounts about the Library of Alexandria and its destruction.
*Includes a bibliography for further reading.

“When I wrote 'The Alexandria Link,' I discovered that we are only aware of about 10 percent of the knowledge of the ancient world. In the ancient world, most of the knowledge was destroyed.” – Steve Berry

In the modern world, libraries are taken for granted by most people, perhaps because their presence is ubiquitous. Every school has a library, large libraries can be found in every major city, and even most small towns have public libraries. However, the omnipresent nature of libraries is a fairly recent historical phenomenon, because libraries were still few and far between before the 19th century. For centuries in the Western world, during what is known as the Middle Ages, written knowledge was guarded closely and hidden away in private repositories, usually by the religious classes, and hidden away in private repositories.

The lack of libraries in the West has helped contribute to the popular imagination of the ancient Library at Alexandria, and all the myths and legends that have come to be associated with it, but the Library of Alexandria deserves its reputation. Before the Middle Ages, Greek scholars carefully collected and inventoried books and other written materials in the Library of Alexandria, which truly made it a sort of precursor to all modern libraries. In fact, the Library of Alexandria proved to be one of the greatest institutions created in the ancient world because it influenced the minds of countless people in profound ways for centuries. The Library not only inspired the imaginations of artists but gave birth to new research methods, which proved to provide the basis for many considered common-place today. The Library of Alexandria was one of the few libraries in the ancient Greek world, which helped ensure that mathematicians, scientists and other scholars from across the Mediterranean traveled to Egypt to study there, and it was so impressive in its size and influence that it left an indelible mark on the world that still reverberates today.

While the exact nature of the Library remains murky, it functioned for at least several centuries and is believed to have housed hundreds of thousands of books, most written as scrolls on papyrus, and it essentially became the culmination of two ancient literary and cultural traditions converging: the Greek and Egyptian. Of course, the most controversial aspect of the Library of Alexandria is its destruction, which is still a topic of debate today. Several ancient historians attributed its destruction to the Roman conquest of Egypt during the 1st century B.C., with some like Plutarch specifically citing Julius Caesar’s soldiers as the ultimate cause of its destruction. The Roman writer Seneca wrote that 40,000 books were lost in the fire. However, other ancient historians claimed to have gone to the Library of Alexandria after Caesar stayed in the city, and all of these claims might be muddled by the fact that there was more than one library in the area. It’s possible that the Library of Alexandria or some version of it survived until the 7th century A.D., but either way, the destruction of the library is often viewed as one of the reasons the Middle Ages were “Dark”. Nobody knows for sure how much knowledge was lost in the Library, nor how it affected what Western societies knew and didn’t during medieval times.

The Library of Alexandria: The History and Legacy of the Ancient World’s Most Famous Library looks at the history of the library in an attempt to separate fact and fiction. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Library of Alexandria like never before.

Print length

34 pages
Language

English
Publication date

February 15, 2014
Dimensions

6 x 0.08 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1495953971
ISBN-13

978-1495953972
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (February 15, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 34 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1495953971
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1495953972
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.08 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.08 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,043,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #7,228 in Ancient Civilizations

Customer Reviews:
44 ratings

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David Dvorak

A disappointing pamphlet/brochure

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2019

Verified Purchase

I was supremely disappointed when I received this book. Pamphlet or brochure would be a more accurate descriptor. Partially my fault for not paying close attention to the number of pages. I went out to the Wikipedia page for Library of Alexandria and it appears to be more comprehensive. I concede that Wikipedia is probably not as trustworthy or accurate, but telling that many of the sources cited there were also sources in this book. Also telling, this book is not mentioned in the bibliography on the Wikipedia page.

Most of the content is about Ptolemy, Caesar, and Alexander the great. The book discusses their influence in creating and maintaining the library. Very briefly. The book proceeds to set forth three theories about how the library was destroyed and puts forth evidence for why all three of those are dubious.

I bought this book because I recently finished Carl Sagan's Cosmos and he frequently mentions the Library. There are many anecdotes he tells that are not even in this book. Sagan mentions Hapatia and gives more context around her than this book, which mentions her briefly as the daughter of one of the librarians. Very disappointed, I'm looking forward to reading the Wikipedia page tonight.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Jack Balog

Not as good as I expected.

Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2014

Verified Purchase

I was hoping for a book that could tell me about the history and Legacy of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt.
This booklet just did not do that for me.
It says the Library was there, and it was Important, and now they have built a new library near it's ancient site (or so they think).
The booklet is very short, and the references to historical reports takes more space than the actual accounts in the body of the booklet.
It may be enough for a fifth grade report on what the library was, and how it might have been destroyed but that is all. In my opinion.

19 people found this helpful

Helpful

J. Friedline

If you are a student of History

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2021

Verified Purchase

If you are a student of History or Library Science these are the facts to better understand the subjects.

Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2016

Verified Purchase

I would call this more of a Pamphlet than a Book. LOL. If it were fiction, this would be "Short Story" --27 pages long and a bibliography but most pages only have a few paragraphs on them. Still, good info, well written and I found it very informative--lots of good research on the Library that I haven't read anywhere else so I liked it.

4 people found this helpful

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Jesica L. Blonquist

History

Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2021

Verified Purchase

Great information when researching the Library

Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2014

Verified Purchase

The section on the building and upkeep of the Library was really good. A lot of detail, but still easy to follow. I just wish there had been more on the various theories about the destruction of the Library. The author mentions various theories, but does not really go into the pros and cons on each theory.

One person found this helpful

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Serena E. Stout

The Library of Alexandria: The History and Legacy of the Ancient World's Most Famous Library

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2014

Verified Purchase

For an historical account this is very readable. I learned many new things about the Library of Alexandria. I did not realize that the city had more than one large library, and that it is unlikely that the Great Library was actually destroyed by a fire.

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Thomas Andert

Short historical biography of ancient Alexandria Library

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2014

Verified Purchase

If you are looking for a concise work on the famous Library of Alexandria, this is the book for you. The book covers all of the pertinent facts without too much speculation. A good read.

One person found this helpful

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