A Wolfson History Prize FinalistA Sunday Times Book of the Year "If you care about books, and if you believe we must all stand up to the destruction of knowledge and cultural heritage, this is a brilliant read--both powerful and prescient."--Elif Shafak "Wonderful...full of good stories and burning with passion."--Sunday Times "Timely and authoritative...Touches not only high politics but also information technology and life-and-death drama...I enjoyed it immensely."--Philip Pullman "The sound of a warning vibrates through this book."--The Guardian "Essential reading for anyone concerned with libraries and what Ovenden outlines as their role in 'the support of democracy, the rule of law and open society.'"--Wall Street Journal "Ovenden emphasizes that attacks on books, archives and recorded information are the usual practice of authoritarian regimes."--Michael Dirda, Washington Post Libraries have been ransacked since ancient times but the deliberate destruction of knowledge has increa
