Biblioclasm

Biblioclasm PDF Author: Marc Drogin
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
ISBN:
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
uthor Marc Drogin begins where both creation and destruction had their roots: with that most wonderful gift, the alphabet. He traces the mythic origins of the alphabet in ancient, classical and medieval cultures and relates how letters, words, and numbers had a magical significance in the past. After describing the divine origins of the alphabet, he offers a glimpse of some of the magic and miracles associated with the written word, and goes on to the adventures and vicissitudes of books down through the years.

Biblioclasm

Biblioclasm PDF Author: Marc Drogin
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
ISBN:
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
uthor Marc Drogin begins where both creation and destruction had their roots: with that most wonderful gift, the alphabet. He traces the mythic origins of the alphabet in ancient, classical and medieval cultures and relates how letters, words, and numbers had a magical significance in the past. After describing the divine origins of the alphabet, he offers a glimpse of some of the magic and miracles associated with the written word, and goes on to the adventures and vicissitudes of books down through the years.

Burning Books and Leveling Libraries

Burning Books and Leveling Libraries PDF Author: Rebecca Knuth
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313071586
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 249

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Book Description
Whether the product of passion or of a cool-headed decision to use ideas to rationalize excess, the decimation of the world's libraries occurred throughout the 20th century, and there is no end in sight. Cultural destruction is, therefore, of increasing concern. In her previous book Libricide, Rebecca Knuth focused on book destruction by authoritarian regimes: Nazis, Serbs in Bosnia, Iraqis in Kuwait, Maoists during the Cultural Revolution in China, and the Chinese Communists in Tibet. But authoritarian governments are not the only perpetrators. Extremists of all stripes—through terrorism, war, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and other forms of mass violence—are also responsible for widespread cultural destruction, as she demonstrates in this new book. Burning Books and Leveling Libraries is structured in three parts. Part I is devoted to struggles by extremists over voice and power at the local level, where destruction of books and libraries is employed as a tactic of political or ethnic protest. Part II discusses the aftermath of power struggles in Germany, Afghanistan, and Cambodia, where the winners were utopians who purged libraries in efforts to purify their societies and maintain power. Part III examines the fate of libraries when there is war and a resulting power vacuum. The book concludes with a discussion of the events in Iraq in 2003, and the responsibility of American war strategists for the widespread pillaging that ensued after the toppling of Saddam Hussein. This case poignantly demonstrates the ease with which an oppressed people, given the collapse of civil restraints, may claim freedom as license for anarchy, construing it as the right to prevail, while ignoring its implicit mandate of social responsibility. Using military might to enforce ideals (in this case democracy and freedom) is futile, Knuth argues, if insufficient consideration is given to humanitarian, security, and cultural concerns.

Biblioclasm

Biblioclasm PDF Author: Marc Drogin
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780847600007
Category : Book burning
Languages : en
Pages : 203

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Book Description


Books on Fire

Books on Fire PDF Author: Lucien X. Polastron
Publisher: Lucien X. POLASTRON
ISBN: 9781594771675
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 396

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Book Description
Almost as old as the idea of the library is the urge to destroy it. Author Lucien X. Polastron traces the history of this destruction, examining the causes for these disasters, the treasures that have been lost, and where the surviving books, if any, have ended up. Books on Fire received the 2004 Societe des Gens de Lettres Prize for Nonfiction/History in Paris.

Libricide

Libricide PDF Author: Rebecca Knuth
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313072221
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings, declared German poet Heinrich Heine. This book identifies the regime-sponsored, ideologically driven, and systemic destruction of books and libraries in the 20th century that often served as a prelude or accompaniment to the massive human tragedies that have characterized a most violent century. Using case studies of libricide committed by Nazis, Serbs in Bosnia, Iraqis in Kuwait, Maoists during the Cultural Revolution in China, and Chinese Communists in Tibet, Knuth argues that the destruction of books and libraries by authoritarian regimes was sparked by the same impulses toward negation that provoked acts of genocide or ethnocide. Readers will learn why some people—even those not subject to authoritarian regimes—consider the destruction of books a positive process. Knuth promotes understanding of the reasons behind extremism and patterns of cultural terrorism, and concludes that what is at stake with libricide is nothing less than the preservation and continuation of the common cultural heritage of the world. Anyone committed to freedom of expression and humanistic values will embrace this passionate and valuable book.

Biblioclasm

Biblioclasm PDF Author: Sayan Sarkar
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
In "Biblioclasm: Unveiling the Dark Secrets of Book Destruction," readers will embark on a journey through the ages, exploring the disturbing history of biblioclasm-its origins, its motivations, and its enduring impact on our world. This comprehensive book sheds light on the individuals and societies that have sought to suppress ideas, control knowledge, and erase the voices of dissent. It also celebrates the resilience of those who have stood up against biblioclasm and worked tirelessly to protect our written heritage. Ultimately, this book serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring value of books and the vital importance of preserving knowledge and culture for future generations.

Christianity, Book-Burning and Censorship in Late Antiquity

Christianity, Book-Burning and Censorship in Late Antiquity PDF Author: Dirk Rohmann
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110486075
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 369

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Book Description
It is estimated that only a small fraction, less than 1 per cent, of ancient literature has survived to the present day. The role of Christian authorities in the active suppression and destruction of books in Late Antiquity has received surprisingly little sustained consideration by academics. In an approach that presents evidence for the role played by Christian institutions, writers and saints, this book analyses a broad range of literary and legal sources, some of which have hitherto been little studied. Paying special attention to the problem of which genres and book types were likely to be targeted, the author argues that in addition to heretical, magical, astrological and anti-Christian books, other less obviously subversive categories of literature were also vulnerable to destruction, censorship or suppression through prohibition of the copying of manuscripts. These include texts from materialistic philosophical traditions, texts which were to become the basis for modern philosophy and science. This book examines how Christian authorities, theologians and ideologues suppressed ancient texts and associated ideas at a time of fundamental transformation in the late classical world.

Burning the Books

Burning the Books PDF Author: Richard Ovenden
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674241207
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
The director of the famed Bodleian Libraries at Oxford narrates the global history of the willful destruction—and surprising survival—of recorded knowledge over the past three millennia. Libraries and archives have been attacked since ancient times but have been especially threatened in the modern era. Today the knowledge they safeguard faces purposeful destruction and willful neglect; deprived of funding, libraries are fighting for their very existence. Burning the Books recounts the history that brought us to this point. Richard Ovenden describes the deliberate destruction of knowledge held in libraries and archives from ancient Alexandria to contemporary Sarajevo, from smashed Assyrian tablets in Iraq to the destroyed immigration documents of the UK Windrush generation. He examines both the motivations for these acts—political, religious, and cultural—and the broader themes that shape this history. He also looks at attempts to prevent and mitigate attacks on knowledge, exploring the efforts of librarians and archivists to preserve information, often risking their own lives in the process. More than simply repositories for knowledge, libraries and archives inspire and inform citizens. In preserving notions of statehood recorded in such historical documents as the Declaration of Independence, libraries support the state itself. By preserving records of citizenship and records of the rights of citizens as enshrined in legal documents such as the Magna Carta and the decisions of the US Supreme Court, they support the rule of law. In Burning the Books, Ovenden takes a polemical stance on the social and political importance of the conservation and protection of knowledge, challenging governments in particular, but also society as a whole, to improve public policy and funding for these essential institutions.

Books Condemned to be Burnt

Books Condemned to be Burnt PDF Author: James Anson Farrer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Book burning
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description


Book Burning

Book Burning PDF Author: Cal Thomas
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description
Argues that schools, public libraries, book stores, and the media censor the religious and politically conservative points of view.