Burning the Books - Richard Ovenden, John Murray Press

An unforgettable 3,000-year-old journey - from Mesopotamian clay tablets trying to predict the future, to Tudor book-hunters and Nazi bonfires, and on into the dangers of our increasingly digital existence, Burning the Books shows how the preservation of knowledge is vital for the survival of civilization itself. 'A wonderful book, full of good stories and burning with passion' SUNDAY TIMES, BOOKS OF THE YEAR'Compelling, fascinating and rewarding' LITERARY REVIEW'When books burn, it is more than just words under attack . .. this extraordinary book should stir us to thinking and to action' FINANCIAL TIMES 'A tale of ingenuity and deep courage' GUARDIAN'A stark warning - the truth itself is under attack' THE TIMES, BOOKS OF THE YEAR