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A splendor of letters : the permanence of books in an impermanent world / Nicholas A. Basbanes
Bib ID 3067063
Format BookBook
Author
Basbanes, Nicholas A., 1943-
 
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Edition 1st ed. 
Description New York : HarperCollins, c2003 
xviii., 444 p. ; 24cm. 
ISBN 0060082879 (hbk. :acid-free paper) 
Summary

"Nicholas A. Basbanes offers a consideration of the many pressing issues that surround the role of books in contemporary society, such as the willful destruction of books and libraries in Sarajevo, Tibet, and Cambodia, and the spirited efforts to restore them. The matter of "discards" at various libraries takes on an entirely new dimension as well, with fully researched stories about the kind of attitudes that may lead to the loss of "last copies" of important works." "In vivid detail, Basbanes examines the many materials that have been used over the centuries to record information - among them clay tablets, papyrus scrolls, slabs of stone, palm leaves, animal skins, and hammered sheets of gold and copper. Also discussed are the various debates that continue to rage about preservation, which may mean saving and storing books on paper indefinitely, or as electronic data, which are by nature ephemeral."--BOOK JACKET.

Full contents
  • 1. Marbles and Names
  • 2. Editio Princeps
  • 3. The Ozymandias Factor
  • 4. Ex Libris Punicis
  • 5. From the Ashes
  • 6. Shelf Life
  • 7. Ingenious Cipher
  • 8. Into Thin Air
  • 9. Make Haste Slowly
  • 10. Music of the Spheres
 
Notes

Includes Index

Includes bibliographical references (p. 369-421) and index.

Subjects Books - History.  |  Written communication - History.  |  Cultural property - Protection.  |  Library materials - Conservation and restoration.  |  Library materials - Reproduction.  |  Archival materials - Conservation and restoration.  |  Archival materials - Reproduction.  |  Digital preservation.  |  Censorship.

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Members of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Maori communities are advised that this catalogue contains names and images of deceased people. All users of the catalogue should also be aware that certain words, terms or descriptions may be culturally sensitive and may be considered inappropriate today, but may have reflected the author's/creator's attitude or that of the period in which they were written.