Just Finished Reading: Burning the Books – A History of Knowledge Under Attack by Richard Ovenden (FP: 2020) [233pp] 

Burning books or the destruction of archives neither started, nor unfortunately ended, with the 1930’s in central Europe. Even recently, in the war in Ukraine, we have witnessed the deliberate targeting of cultural centers and libraries by Russian missiles. This is, as it always was, a well-worn method of attempting to erase a people, a belief or a culture from history. Without records for future generations to discover and appreciate it is that much harder for communities to know their own past. Without historical anchors to bind them it is much more likely that cultures, beliefs or entire peoples become adrift in time. 

From the destruction of the Library of Alexandria (which was actually two libraries and didn’t burn down in a single tragic event) to the religious book burnings during the 30 Years War and the Reformation, from the removal of archives in former colonial outposts – partially through blind bureaucracy and partially to deny former colonies evidence for legal recourse – to artillery strikes on libraries during the breakup of Yugoslavia, to the casual neglect of libraries throughout the world as cash-strapped governments cut funds and cut again on what many see as easily disposable activities. Even today on our nightly news we see those who often do not use libraries attempting to force the removal of books to restrict the dissemination of ideas or narratives they deem inappropriate or inconvenient. The symbolic, at least, burning of books it with us today and quite probably in our own town. 

Of course, being a book lover of many, many years, the very idea of deliberately destroying books and most especially old rare or priceless books – no matter their content – is deeply repugnant to me. If a book holds a belief system I do not subscribe to, if a book contains details or opinions that I do not share, if a book portrays lifestyles or behaviours that are different to mine, I do not expect, advocate or demand their destruction. To my way of thinking that’s like asking me to describe the smell of the number 9 – my mind kind of slides off the idea and just can’t ‘lock on’ to it. But such ideas, sometimes all too successful although thankfully often anything but, are nothing new and are universal. But so is, as the author points out repeatedly, the idea that books, ideas, culture should be preserved for all mankind. Tales of those who fight against book banning or book burning are sprinkled throughout this often-compelling narrative, stories of those who hid sacred Jewish texts during the dark times in Occupied Europe, stories of librarians, firefighters and civilians who braved fire, and exploding shells to rescue priceless historical artifacts from museums and cultural archives as well as publishers who continue publishing such works despite the threat of fines, prison or worse. Definitely an interesting, depressing but also uplifting work (as well as a warning!) for all bibliophiles.