Books on fire : the tumultuous story of the world's great libraries

Here is a magisterial history of the destruction of knowledge over the millennia. Hugely impressive in scope, Polastron's book takes the reader on a journey from ancient Mesopotamia to modern times, showing how the urge to write, read and collect books has always gone hand in hand with the impulse to destroy them.

In the cradle of the libraries -- The papyrus region -- Islam of the first days -- People of the book -- Asia before the twentieth century -- The Christian West -- The new biblioclasts -- Peace damages -- An embarrassment of modernity -- Flameproof knowledge -- Epilogue: return to Alexandria.