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About Libraries In The Ancient World
Review "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"[R]emarkably readable and provocative. . . . A fascinating and nourishing tour of the history of the glue of civilization."—Michael Pakenham, Baltimore Sun"I recommend this delightful history to any reader with an interest in the classical world. . . . Casson’s book would be the choice for the reader who wants not only to learn about ancient libraries, but also to experience the humanity of the people who lived in societies so different, and yet so close, to our own."—College & Research Libraries"Informative. . . . In these pages Casson offers a succinct account of the development of reading, writing and book collecting in Mesopotamia, Greece and the Roman Empire, piecing together his story from archaeological excavations, references found in literary texts and even inscriptions and epitaphs relating to libraries and library donations."—Michiko Kakutani, International Herald Tribune"This latest work by the Classicist Lionel Casson is both compelling and accessible and will appeal in equal measures to scholar and layperson alike. . . . Casson is to be commended for the succinct and scholarly manner in which this topic was treated. This work proves to be a valuable and worthwhile introduction to the study of the history of libraries, particularly public libraries, for students and the general public."—Jaqueline S. du Toit, Libraries & Culture"This slim volume is full of pleasures and insights. The author is a very well-known classicist who wears his learning lightly and writes in a manner to make that learning accessible to most. . . . As we teeter on the edge of another age of fragile, endangered texts—electronic this time—we would do well to read, and ponder, the lessons of Professor Casson’s fascinating book."—Michael Gorman, Logos"For architects, librarians, and archaeologists interested in library history, architecture, and procedures; for the general reader who has a love of libraries and books."—Northeastern Naturalist"This is a book many of us have been hoping, even longing, to read for a long while. . . . Libraries in the Ancient World is a labor of love. Lionel Casson offers a delightful pilgrimage back to the earliest libraries, to the bright beginnings of recorded human intellect."—J. Harold Ellens, Odyssey"Writing with elegant prose, interspersed with subtle wit, Casson reconstructs the history of ancient libraries through hints and allusions found in primary accounts, i
