Lucien X Polastron surveys the world's libraries, from Hebrew, Nordic and Islamic myths of a vast library which existed before creation, to the catastrophic losses of libraries in Alexandria, Qing Dynasty China and modern Iraq.

Books on Fire: The Tumultuous Story of the World's Great Libraries

History

Polastron, Lucien X.

Historical Study & Educational Resources

Thames&Hudson

With 142 photos and these short, step-by-step lessons from a master Chinese calligrapher, you can enjoy the basics of the beautiful characters of Chinese. Begin by learning the history and traditions of this art form, and the techniques of using the "four treasures": the brush and other basic tools. Learn the correct body position, and how to hold the brush. Then practice calligraphy in the Kaishu style, with clear instructions and easy exercises to guide you. First you will learn 19 basic strokes. You can then combine them to write Chinese characters, and finally, four chengyu (proverbs). A selection of calligraphy artworks by contemporary artists is also included to inspire you.

An Introduction to Chinese Calligraphy (Calligraphy, 3)

Arts & Photography

Ouyang, Jiaojia

Other Media

Schiffer Craft

A historical survey of the destruction of knowledge from ancient Babylon and China to modern times • Includes the three separate destructions of the Library of Alexandria as well as many equally significant collections around the world • Examines the causes of violence directed at repositories of knowledge • Looks at the dangers posed by digitalization of books to the free availability of knowledge in the future Hebrew, Hindu, Nordic, and Islamic traditions share the belief of a vast library existing before the creation of the world. The Vedas say that this library predated the creator’s creation of himself. Yet, almost as old as the idea of the library is the urge to destroy it. The reasons cited for this are many: educated people are much harder to govern, and some proclaim that only the illiterate can save the world. There are also great destructions brought about by weather, worms, and even the paranoia of the library’s owner. Books on Fire traces the history of this perpetual destruction from the burning of the great library of Alexandria (on three separate occasions) and the libraries of the Chinese Qing Dynasty to more modern catastrophic losses such as those witnessed in Nazi-occupied Europe and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The author examines the causes for these disasters, the treasures that have been lost, and where the surviving books, if any, have ended up. His investigation also reveals a new danger facing libraries today with the digitalization of books threatening both the existence of the physical paper book and the very idea of reading for free. The promise of an absolute library offered by the computer may well turn out to equal the worst nightmares of Ray Bradbury, Aldous Huxley, and George Orwell. Books on Fire received the 2004 Société des Gens de Lettres Prize for Nonfiction/History in Paris.

Books on Fire: The Destruction of Libraries throughout History

Ancient Civilizations

Inner Traditions

Examines the pitfalls, perils, and promises offered by the digitization of books • Reveals the danger digitized books pose to the very idea of “free” reading • Poses the questions society should be asking itself before heedlessly embracing this brave new world The digitization of books is an immense blessing for the exchange and diffusion of knowledge, enabling access in even the most remote locations. Yet this new technology has awakened perils as dangerous as those that reduced libraries to ashes in ancient Alexandria and modern Nazi Germany. The very force that makes it possible for books to reach a global audience also has the power to hold them hostage and even destroy their integrity in a manner that is unprecedented. Books on Fire author Lucien Polastron points out that the dematerialization of knowledge raises new legal challenges about the quality and authenticity of information. Attempts to create a virtual library are changing the very nature of reading, which has been marked by the act of physically holding and moving forward through an author’s work rather than viewing a series of sound bite length snippets. The transfer of the traditional paper book into a searchable entity on the computer represents a revolution even more dramatic than the one triggered by Gutenberg’s printing press. This revolution is akin to the replacement of the scroll by the codex, which likewise changed the way humans could receive information and structure their thoughts. Yet despite its broad easy access, the profiteers of this new commercial domain may render the very idea of “free” reading obsolete. Polastron poses questions others are ignoring in a headlong rush to embrace what is still a very ambiguous future.

The Great Digitization and the Quest to Know Everything

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

Livres en feu: Histoire de la destruction sans fin des bibliothèques

Essays & Correspondence

Фоліо

DENOEL

Kaligrafia chinska

Esta obra revisa la aterradora y frecuente práctica de la destrucción de libros, en ocasiones como consecuencia de una invasión o venganza, en otras como resultado de un accidente, en algunas más como un símbolo, pues muchas hogueras de libros en realidad buscaban aniquilar a sus autores. Dejando de lado la indignación que el tema provoca, aunque sin escatimar calificativos cargados de ironía, el autor recorre diversas geografías y épocas - desde los depósitos de arcilla con escritura cuneiforme hasta el saqueo en Bagdad ocupada por el ejército de Estados Unidos - para enfrentarnos con la nefasta vocación de los hombres que pretenden silenciar las obras que hablan con sus lectores desde el papel. Este libro es un modesto homenaje a los millones de obras desaparecidas y una advertencia para que se haga de la preservación bibliográfica un compromiso impostergable.

Libros en llamas. Historia de la interminable destrucción de bibliotecas (Libros sobre libros) (Spanish Edition)

Europe

FONDO DE CULTURA ECONOMICA*

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