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Luciano Canfora
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The Vanished Library: A Wonder of the Ancient World (Hellenistic Culture and Society) Paperback – September 18, 1990

by Luciano Canfora (Author), Martin Ryle (Translator)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 34 ratings
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The Library of Alexandria, one of the wonders of the Ancient World, has haunted Western culture for over 2,000 years. The Ptolemaic kings of Egypt—successors of Alexander the Great—had a staggering ambition: to house all of the books ever written under one roof, and the story of the universal library and its destruction still has the power to move us.

But what was the library, and where was it? Did it exist at all? Contemporary descriptions are vague and contradictory. The fate of the precious books themselves is a subject of endless speculation.

Canfora resolves these puzzles in one of the most unusual books of classical history ever written. He recreates the world of Egypt and the Greeks in brief chapters that marry the craft of the novelist and the discipline of the historian. Anecdotes, conversations, and reconstructions give The Vanished Library the compulsion of an exotic tale, yet Canfora bases all of them on historical and literary sources, which he discusses with great panache. As the chilling conclusion to this elegant piece of historical detective work he establishes who burned the books.

This volume has benefited from the collegial support of The Wake Forest University Studium.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    205 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University of California Press
  4. Publication date
    September 18, 1990
  5. Dimensions
    6.28 x 0.75 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0520072553
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0520072558
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Canfora, an expert in ancient literature and a professor at the University of Bari (Italy), has created a loving, anecdotal ramble through that fabled store of classical learning, the Library of Alexandria, its history and destruction, probably not, in Canfora's opinion, during Caesar's campaign but some 300 to 400 years later, as the Arab world began to encroach on a crumbling Roman Empire. The author stops along the way to consider some germane (and some tangential) subjects: the fate of Aristotle's writings, the rival library at Pergamum, Ramses II's victory over the Hittites at Kadesh, the creation of the Septuagint. To avoid further distractions on this peripatetic journey, Canfora reserves the exegesis of historical sources to the second half of the book. But this is not without its drawbacks: the sense that one is getting only half the story at any given point and the inevitable redundancies. Whatever the shortcomings of this approach to an admittedly murky subject, Canfora makes clear g the importance of the Library. No matter how much was destroyed, far more was conserved--or created--by the scholars and copyists who worked within its confines.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

"A fluid, distinctive, and highly intelligent portrait of Caesar in his times."—Clifford Ando, author of Imperial Ideology and Provincial Loyalty in the Roman Empire

"Master of the complex source material and at home in the vast secondary literature, Canfora has used his experience with communism to construct a subtle, original quest for 'the real Caesar,' the proletarian dictator. The book can only enrich research and teaching."—William M. Calder III, Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of California Press; Later Printing edition (September 18, 1990)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 205 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0520072553
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0520072558
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.28 x 0.75 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 34 ratings

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Luciano Canfora

Luciano Canfora

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
34 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put down
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2023
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Item was well packaged and protected. I had bought this item several years back, but lost it. So I am so happy I bought it again. This is such a great read, it is hard to place it down when you start reading, if you are into reads like these. Really happy I have it again, I was excited when it arrived🥹👍Thank you, so much.
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OAKSHAMAN
4.0 out of 5 stars One thousand years as a temple of learning and wisdom
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2003
Verified Purchase
I found this book both informative, as well as, a joy to read. That is because most of it reads more like a novel than a formal academic study. This is done to put the reader into the overall cultural mindset of Alexandria and the library at various points in it's almost 1000 year history.
Having done my own research on this topic in college I can vouch for the accuracy and completeness of the author's research. The truth is that there is very little surviving hard data about this institution (and absolutely no surviving archeological evidence.) There is however an original revelation that the layout of the Museum may very well have imitated that of the Ramesseum at Thebes. This is due to the fact that the Greek rulers of the Ptolemaic period adhered closely to classical Egyptian forms- at least in a superficial and material manner.
This book clears up some popular misconceptions. First of all, there was no "library" as a separate institution or structure. It was always an inseparable part of the overall Museum. Secondly, the Museum was in no sense a secular institution. It was truly a temple to the Muses, and Holy Wisdom, with sacred functions. Even under Roman control it continued to be administered by a priest.
Finally, it would seem that the Romans had nothing to do with the burning of the Museum, indeed there was no damage during the Roman conquest. The greatest damage is shown to have been done in late antiquity at the hands of Christian fanatics- like so many simular of cases of the mindless destruction of our classical heritage.
23 people found this helpful
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Pdy
5.0 out of 5 stars Just What I Needed
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2021
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I found this to be an excellent resource in dispelling the myths about the destruction of the Library of Alexandria. I also learned about the fate of many of Aristotle’s works of which I was unaware previously. Very informative!
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Michael Boyajian
5.0 out of 5 stars A page turning history of the Library at Alexandria
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2016
A concise history of the greatest library in the ancient world containing information on the number of scrolls in its collection, the design of the building and the notable figures who came into contact with it and the story of its ultimate fate allowing the reader to move at a fast page turning novel like pace.
2 people found this helpful
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R. R. Morris
3.0 out of 5 stars Could be more informative
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2013
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This is an OK book that is still quite abundant with the history and surrounding events of the Alexandrian Library. Plenty of citings and quotes from many sources before, during and after the destruction of the library. Comparing Rameses II tomb with the Alexandrian Library and its having common features was new to me. Deciphering valid from spurious writings has its intrigue. The author makes a clear distinction with the scrolls that burned on the ship depots from the scrolls in the library during Caesar's attack. Something that is still argued by some. The final destruction and the burning of tens of thousands of scrolls to heat thousands of bathers for six months is highlighted well too. Carl Sagan always erroneously insisted the Alexandrian Library was destroyed by Christendom hundreds of years before this. Further commentaries written long afterward are reviewed too. Somehow I still long for more of the events and history that the book just seems to pass by. I am disappointed that a book discussing one of the great seven wonders of the world never bothers to present any artist renditions or drawings of anything other than a very poor floor-plan drawings (not even on its glossy cover). But it is informative enough and would satisfy anyone of curious learning on the Alexandrian Library.
7 people found this helpful
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Marcia Dishong
4.0 out of 5 stars As described
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2019
Verified Purchase
I had hoped that there would be illustrations-the book was definitely what was described and I expected that the cover would be like the depicted picture, but it was plain-all in all the book lives up to the information and although used showed little signs of wear.
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J. Kunst
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating and rewarding read
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2006
I just couldn't put it down. The first chapters are puzzling and one wonders why Canfora chose this unusual structure for his book. But like a suspense writer, he gives the reader one clue after an other and suddenly everything makes sense. In retrospect one even beliefs that this study could not have been written in a more succinct and lucid way. I finished the 200 pages in five hours and felt like I had read a whole library.
10 people found this helpful
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Robert Eaglestone
5.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2000
From the beginning of this book, we are treated to historical references [in order of their occurrance] to the famous Library at Alexandria, with an eye toward clearing up the fundamental mysteries surrounding it: where was the Library located? What was its place in ancient culture? And, finally, when and how many times was it really destroyed?
An enjoyable and profound read, part history, part mystery; a refreshing change from the dry texts of collegiate studies. A book that engages the imagination as well as the intellect. An excellent piece of detective work.
I loved it.
11 people found this helpful
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