Book Burning: The Suffering of Knowledge

The preservation of knowledge has always been an arduous struggle: the ancient Library of Alexandria declined due to mismanagement; Lord Bodley made a huge investment to complete the new library in Oxford; the Scottish regime set fire to thousands of libraries. A collection of Jewish books; Kafka's manuscripts may have been lost to posterity because of his will. In the book, Bodleian Librarian Richard Ovenden draws on three thousand years of historical records and materials, introduces the history of the suffering of knowledge from clay tablets to the era of cloud data storage, and explores the boundaries of knowledge preservation and its impact on society. impact. The efforts and sacrifices of a group of knowledgeable people, including librarians and archivists, are wonderfully represented in the books.
This is a fascinating history of book preservation and a shocking history of human civilization. Through this book, we should understand that libraries and archives are not only places where literature is stored, but also have a close relationship with politics, education and culture. Richard Ovenden also proposed an initiative to the whole society: cohesive gatherings shape public policy and fight for the resources these important knowledge preservation institutions deserve.