Scan barcode
nrogers_1030's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.0
I listened to the audiobook and I can tell you my eyes glazed over more than once. Very dry and the history is described in minute detail. It reads like a research paper. That being said, anything less than 4 stars is an insult because of its thoroughness.
If you want to get to more "recent" history (American colonies era), skip to chapter 13. It'll save you 8 hours of listening.
If you want to get to more "recent" history (American colonies era), skip to chapter 13. It'll save you 8 hours of listening.
fsuarez's review against another edition
Unfortunately, it wasn’t holding my interest. The later chapters seemed interesting, but it wasn’t pulling me in. I wasn’t excited to pick it back up and continue reading.
vgk's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
2.0
This book is many things, but a comprehensive history of the library it is not. My suspicion is that it began life as one (or possibly two) academic dissertations - perhaps on the history of books, perhaps on the history of church libraries - and in order to turn it into a supposed history of libraries, they tacked on a few sections about public libraries. Although I picked up a few interesting facts along the arduous, slow and pedantic way (if I never hear another word about church libraries through the ages I will be extremely relieved), I was starkly aware of entire swathes of public library history that was simply absent. As one example, how you can write 400-odd pages about libraries and only mention the Chartists once is entirely beyond me! If you want a readable and comprehensive history of actual libraries (rather than personal book collections), turn to Matthew Battles' 'Library: An Unquiet History' - a superior book in every respect.
jo_d's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Made me feel emotional about libraries and had interesting insights on what libraries were and what they could be
eldritch_reeds's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating and detailed exploration of the very complex history of the humble library. Highly recommended as if nothing else it'll remind you of the true power of the printed word.