"A comprehensive, entertaining, and compelling argument for how rebuilding social infrastructure can help heal divisions in our society and move us forward."--Jon Stewart NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR * "Engaging."--Mayor Pete Buttigieg, The New York...

Battles, a rare books librarian at Harvard and a gifted narrator, gives a colorful, fast-paced tour through the stacks from ancient times to the present. Through the ages, libraries have not only accumulated and preserved, but also controlled, inspired, shaped, hidden and obliterated knowledge:...