Book Burning: the Suffering of Knowledge

The preservation of knowledge has always been an arduous struggle: the ancient Library of Alexandria declined due to mismanagement; Lord Bodley's huge investment enabled the new library in Oxford to be built; the Nazi regime set fire to thousands of Jewish books; Kafka's manuscripts may not be seen in future generations because of his lifetime will. In this book, Richard Ovenden, Director of the Bodleian Library, spans three thousand years of historical records and materials, introduces the history of the suffering of knowledge from clay tablets to the era of cloud data storage, and explores the current status of knowledge preservation and its impact on society. The efforts and sacrifices of many insightful people such as librarians and archives staff are also wonderfully presented in the book. This is a fascinating history of book preservation and a shocking history of human civilization. Through this book, we should understand that libraries and archives are not only places where documents are stored, but also closely interact with current politics, education, and culture, providing important support for the healthy operation of society. Richard Ovenden also proposed an initiative to the entire society: to build consensus on the formulation of public policies and to obtain the resources they deserve for these important knowledge preservation institutions.