This work tells the story of Ancient libraries from their very beginnings, when "books" were clay tablets and writing was a new phenomenon. Classicist Lionel Casson takes us on a tour from the royal libraries of the Ancient Near East, through the private and public libraries of Greece and Rome, down to the first Christian monastic libraries. He explains what books were acquired and how, who read them, how they were organized, and more.
This work tells the story of Ancient libraries from their very beginnings, when "books" were clay tablets and writing was a new phenomenon. Classicist Lionel Casson takes us on a tour from the royal libraries of the Ancient Near East, through the private and public libraries of Greece and Rome, down to the first Christian monastic libraries. He explains what books were acquired and how, who read them, how they were organized, and more.
Lionel Casson is Professor Emeritus of Classics, New York University, and the author of Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World as well as many other books on ancient maritime history and ancient travel.
"Which came first, the book or the library? This monograph by the
classicist Lionel Casson provides a detailed answer that will
appeal not just to bibliophiles but to anyone who enjoys picking up
odd bits of intriguing historical information."—Amanda Heller,
Boston Sunday Globe
"[I]nformative. . . . [A] succinct account of the development of
reading, writing and book collecting in Mesopotamia, Greece, and
the Roman Empire. . . . The reader can only wish . . . that he
follows this short but engaging book with a sequel."—Michiko
Kakutani, New York Times
"[A] charming and brief narrative history of the birth (and deaths)
of libraries in the ancient world."—Robert Messenger, New York
Times Book Review
"[A] book that many readers will enjoy immensely. Yale has produced
a handsome volume, well designed by Mary Valencia (off-white paper
stock, inviting layout, abundant illustrations), neither too long
nor too short, and written in limpid, understated prose by an
expert on ancient civilization. For a quick overview of 3,000 years
of book making, selling, care and preservation—from roughly 2,500
B.C. to 600 A.D.—this is the roll, or rather codex, to start with.
. . . [D]iverting and instructive."—Michael Dirda, Washington Post
Book World
"A wonderful book for those who love libraries and the books
within."—History Magazine
"Casson’s book is not limited to where and when important libraries
existed, it offers a social history transcending the idea of a
library as we know it. . . . As appealing to the archaeologist as
the bibliophile."—Publishers Weekly
"A wonderful book on a wonderful subject. Casson knows what is
interesting and tells us in spellbinding style."—G.W. Bowersock,
Institute for Advanced Study
To find an English-language work comparable to this one in content, size, and scope, one has to go all the way back to James Westfall Thompson's 1940 Ancient Libraries (Univ. of California. o.p.). Casson, a professor emeritus of classics at New York University and author of numerous books on ancient history, provides an overview of the development of libraries (and, to some extent, of writing, literacy, bookselling, and archives), starting with Egypt and Mesopotamia in the third millennium B.C.E. and continuing through the periods of the political and cultural predominance of Greece and then Rome, ending around the fifth century C.E. Among the libraries featured are those of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh, Alexandria, Pergamum, and the Forum of Trajan in Rome. Numerous other specific royal, temple, private, and public libraries are also mentioned. Drawing upon the scholarship of the last several decades, Casson describes, wherever possible, the acquisition, format, cataloging, arrangement, subjects, and use of the library materials and the staffing, architecture, and size of the libraries. He makes clear when the archaeological or literary evidence is scant or lacking. General readers will find this book informative and engaging. Scholars will also be interested in the 18 pages of notes at the end. Libraries in the Ancient World now supersedes Ancient Libraries and should be in library science and ancient history collections in public and academic libraries.DThomas F. O'Connor, Manhattan Coll. Libs., Bronx, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
"Which came first, the book or the library? This monograph by the
classicist Lionel Casson provides a detailed answer that will
appeal not just to bibliophiles but to anyone who enjoys picking up
odd bits of intriguing historical information."-Amanda Heller,
Boston Sunday Globe
"[I]nformative. . . . [A] succinct account of the development of
reading, writing and book collecting in Mesopotamia, Greece, and
the Roman Empire. . . . The reader can only wish . . . that he
follows this short but engaging book with a sequel."-Michiko
Kakutani, New York Times
"[A] charming and brief narrative history of the birth (and deaths)
of libraries in the ancient world."-Robert Messenger, New York
Times Book Review
"[A] book that many readers will enjoy immensely. Yale has produced
a handsome volume, well designed by Mary Valencia (off-white paper
stock, inviting layout, abundant illustrations), neither too long
nor too short, and written in limpid, understated prose by an
expert on ancient civilization. For a quick overview of 3,000 years
of book making, selling, care and preservation-from roughly 2,500
B.C. to 600 A.D.-this is the roll, or rather codex, to start with.
. . . [D]iverting and instructive."-Michael Dirda, Washington
Post Book World
"A wonderful book for those who love libraries and the books
within."-History Magazine
"Casson's book is not limited to where and when important libraries
existed, it offers a social history transcending the idea of a
library as we know it. . . . As appealing to the archaeologist as
the bibliophile."-Publishers Weekly
"A wonderful book on a wonderful subject. Casson knows what is
interesting and tells us in spellbinding style."-G.W. Bowersock,
Institute for Advanced Study
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