LIONEL CASSON

This delightful book tells the story of ancient libraries from their very beginnings, when "books" were clay tablets and writing was a new phenomenon. Renowned classicist Lionel Casson takes us on a lively tour, from the royal libraries of the most ancient Near East, through the private and public libraries of Greece and Rome, down to the first Christian monastic libraries. To the founders of the first public libraries of the Greek world goes the credit for creating the prototype of today's library buildings and the science of organizing books in them. Casson recounts the development of ancient library buildings, systems, holdings, and patrons, addressing questions on a wide variety of topics, such as: • What was the connection between the rise in education and literacy and the growth of libraries? • Who contributed to the early development of public libraries, especially the great library at Alexandria? • What did ancient libraries include in their holdings? • How did ancient libraries acquire books? • What was the nature of publishing in the Greek and Roman world? • How did different types of users (royalty, scholars, religious figures) and different kinds of "books" (tablets, scrolls, codices) affect library arrangements? • How did Christianity transform the nature of library holdings? Just as a library yields unexpected treasures to a meandering browser, this entertaining book offers to its perusers the surprising history of the rise and development of ancient libraries—a fascinating story never told before. Lionel Casson, professor emeritus of classics at New York University has written many books on ancient maritime history and ancient travel. A Selection of The Readers' Subscription

Este es el único libro que trata el tema de las bibliotecas en la antigüedad de forma exhaustiva. Buen conocedor de los textos clásicos, de los documentos de la época y de los más recientes descubrimientos de la arqueología, Casson utiliza sus profundos conocimientos del mundo antiguo para abordar un tema tan desconocido como apasionante, el del nacimiento e historia de las primeras bibliotecas. A través del tiempo, el autor indaga en las formas de organización de las primeras bibliotecas, en cómo se adquirían y publicaban libros en el mundo greco-romano, quiénes eran sus usuarios y cómo la Cristiandad transformó la naturaleza de estas instituciones. Uno de los principales méritos de este libro es que, desde un principio, su lectura cautiva al lector a través de una historia fascinante nunca contada hasta ahora.