Libraries are historically the greatest transmitters of knowledge and culture for any civilization. From the appearance of the very first collection of manuscripts to the building of the greatest temples of books, libraries have risen – and invariably fallen – through the ages and throughout time, they’ve played many different roles and fulfilled a variety of functions, and continue to evolve as we speak. 

What is the history of libraries, what is their role and how has that been changing? This is what my two guests today have written about. Professor Andrew Pettegree is a historian at Saint Andrews University where he specializes in the history of the book and media transformations, and Dr. Arthur der Weduwen is a Postdoctoral Fellow also at Saint Andrews University in Scotland. They co-wrote in 2021 an engaging and deeply researched book called “The Library: A Fragile History” where they investigate this institution throughout different eras and countries to reveal that libraries didn’t always look like the ones we think about today, and also that they’re a lot more fragile than we think.

Here is a quick recap of the books mentioned throughout the episode:

What is their favourite book that I’ve never heard of?

What is the best book that they’ve read in the last 12 months?

What book disappointed them in the last 12 months?

Arthur: “To Have and Have Not”, by Ernest Hemingway (1937)

What book would they take to a desert island?

Andrew: War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy (1867)

Arthur: Scoop, by Evelyn Waugh (1938)

What book changed their mind?

Andrew: “Thurn und Taxis” by Wolfgang Behringer (1990)

Arthur: “Double Fold” by Nicholson Baker (2001)

Find Andrew:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/apettegree?lang=en

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