Fernando Báez

This is an incredible book. I think it suffers a little from translation--passages and phrases sometimes feel both lovely and awkward at the same time. But the primary purpose of the book, to give a sense of the extent, political/social context and the great loss that's accompanied book destruction since the beginning of writing is tremendous. The major flaw is that there is no mention of sub-Saharan Africa, which seems a major omission. Still, this is a book I'm planning on buying, since I went back to read certain pieces many times.… (más)

Medo, ódio, soberba, intolerância e sede de poder é o que sempre motivou os destruidores de livros, cuja intenção na verdade nunca foi destruir o objeto em si, mas o que este representava: o vínculo com a memória, o patrimônio de idéias de toda uma civilização. Este livro oferece uma visão aterradora da devastação, que se inicia no Mundo Antigo, passando pela Inquisição e pelos tempos das conquistas, até a catástrofe mais recente - a destruição de um milhão de livros no Iraque, como consequência de uma guerra absurda.… (más)

The book was interesting, but it was a bit tiresome and depressing at times. You are looking at humanity's history pretty much by the many books (and scrolls and manuscripts) that have been lost or destroyed from natural disasters to man's intentional destruction. It is written in short sections, which makes it easy to read, but the prose is a little on the dry side (which is why I gave it two stars; it just did not draw me in). If you are interested in books, it is worth a look, but it is a slow read.… (más)