Scan barcode
danchibnall's review
2.0
This is the Sunday of negative reviews.
Sadly, this book did not capture my interest at all despite the subject matter. The author spends too much time focused on certain particular areas of history and also loved to drop historical names like crazy. It was difficult keeping track of who he was talking about and why they were important. This book for me bordered on the boring.
I'm not entirely sure what I expected from this book, but it was as if I was reading someone's dissertation. It seemed focused at a particular audience and I guess, despite the fact I'm a librarian, I'm not in that audience.
I'm sure some of you will disagree with me (Kelsey, I think you've read this one) but I've read much better books about the history of libraries and their impact on society. Alberto Manguel's "Library at Night" is a great book.
Anyway, I like Matthew Battles and I've always enjoyed his articles in the past, but this book didn't do much for me.
Sadly, this book did not capture my interest at all despite the subject matter. The author spends too much time focused on certain particular areas of history and also loved to drop historical names like crazy. It was difficult keeping track of who he was talking about and why they were important. This book for me bordered on the boring.
I'm not entirely sure what I expected from this book, but it was as if I was reading someone's dissertation. It seemed focused at a particular audience and I guess, despite the fact I'm a librarian, I'm not in that audience.
I'm sure some of you will disagree with me (Kelsey, I think you've read this one) but I've read much better books about the history of libraries and their impact on society. Alberto Manguel's "Library at Night" is a great book.
Anyway, I like Matthew Battles and I've always enjoyed his articles in the past, but this book didn't do much for me.
sarah_dietrich's review against another edition
3.0
Matthew Battles' Library is a non-fiction account of the history of libraries. I enjoyed it overall. I wish it had been longer - more info on non-Western libraries, more focus on personal/private libraries, more detail on libraries in the Jewish ghettos during WWII. Weighing in at a slim 222 pages, it certainly could have been longer.
My first book finished in 2017.
My first book finished in 2017.
milamoo's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Fully of interesting and useful information, but some of the vignettes were wholly uninteresting to me. I skipped them and continued on to the more informative sections.
rustadmd's review
2.0
This book about the history of libraries relies primarily on anecdotes about particular libraries and librarians. The author sometimes gets lost in the ideals surrounding a library. While he does cover both the positives and negatives (such as Nazi cooperation), this book was not comprehensive enough for me to feel I now understand library history.
nellkup06's review against another edition
4.0
I learned so much about libraries. Well written and not overwhelming.
welkinvault's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.0
I started off really enjoying this history; the first two chapters were very interesting, his personal views on the history of the first books (clay tables, papyrus, scrolls etc) and the early libraries. Chapters 3 & 4 were boring, and written in a very pompus tone (or maybe I was so taken with the early history I did not notice until I was no longer so enthralled with the history).
The more recent past (during the mid to late 20th Century wars) with its examples of pillaging or deliberate burning was again absorbing/horrifying, especially when one compares that to what is currently happening in Ukranian libraries and schools in the cities and towns under Russian control.
But then he has to conclude with a stodgy conclusion.
Bascially a history that is good in parts.
The more recent past (during the mid to late 20th Century wars) with its examples of pillaging or deliberate burning was again absorbing/horrifying, especially when one compares that to what is currently happening in Ukranian libraries and schools in the cities and towns under Russian control.
But then he has to conclude with a stodgy conclusion.
Bascially a history that is good in parts.
lizzilibrarian's review
1.0
No wonder people think my job is boring. The textbooks I had to read for my MLS were much more exciting than this dull account of library history.