Author:Matthew Battles
Through the ages, libraries have not only accumulated and preserved, but shaped, inspired and obliterated knowledge. Matthew Battles takes us on a fascinating journey from Boston to Baghdad, from classical scriptoria to medieval monasteries, from the Vatican to the British Library.
The library has been a battleground of competing notions of what books mean to us, from the clay-tablet collections of ancient Mesopotamia to the legendary libraries of Alexandria, from the burned scrolls of the Qing Dynasty to the book-pyres of the Hitler Youth, from the Dewey Decimal System to the Internet. Battles explores how the library has served two contradictory impulses: to exalt canons of literature, to secure and celebrate the best writing; and the desire to contain all forms of human knowledge - to keep all the books. In its custody of books and the words they contain, the library has confronted and tamed technology, the forces of change and the power of princes time and again.
Fascinating... Eloquently written and genuinely enlightening, Battles's book is a telling testimony to the way libraries can transform lives
—— Sunday HeraldPerforms a valuable service by blowing the dust off our stodgy, conventional conception of the library to reveal the living heart of cultures that beats beneath its stone facade
—— Los Angeles TimesAn erudite, companionable, joyful book... Thrilling
—— SpectatorMatthew Battles touches on almost all the important subjects, through fascinating stories... The book is full of all sorts of treasures
—— Times Literary SupplementA gripping, illuminating chronicle that provides a wonderful birds-eye view from the heights of government and international business, that solidifies Ross's position among the most visionary of global thinkers on the future of technology and its implications, and that also is an amazingly enjoyable, page-turning read!
—— General David Petraeus, former Director of the CIA and former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and Coalition Forces in AfghanistanThe future is already hitting us, and Ross shows how it can be exciting rather than frightening.
—— Walter Isaacson on INDUSTRIES OF THE FUTUREAnyone who wants to understand the key forces that are shaping our economic, political, and social futures will benefit hugely from Ross's insights.
—— Reid Hoffman, Founder & Chairman, LinkedIn, author of MASTERS OF SCALE, on INDUSTRIES OF THE FUTUREIn a world growing more chaotic, Alec Ross is one of those very rare people who can see patterns in the chaos and provide guidance for the road forward.
—— Eric Schmidt, Former CEO of Google and author of THE NEW DIGITAL AGE, on INDUSTRIES OF THE FUTURE
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