Libraries in the Ancient World: 05/28/10

In the fall I'm going back to school for an MLIS. Since I'm unemployed I've also been trying to transition into a career that will use my web production experience with the sorts of jobs I'll be able to apply for after I complete my degree in 2 years. Some of the jobs require a basic skills test. What better place to get review materials for the test than the library? Along with the test materials, I also picked up Libraries in the Ancient World by Lionel Casson.

The copy I picked up happens to be a slimmed down, best of edition from the more scholarly work published the year before. Had I known that when I was reading it my reactions to the book would have been less harsh. As I don't know what the original version covers, please keep in mind my review is for the abridged version only.

The ancient world for this book covers Mesopotamia and points west. The library of Alexandria, the ruins of Pompeii and other famous locations from the area are discussed. What's missing though is any mention of India, China (and points in between) or the New World. If the book is only going to focus on a small part of the world it should be named accordingly.

Comments (2)

Comment #1: Saturday, May, 29, 2010 at 03:08:15

Michelle @ The True Book Addict

That's a masters in library science, correct? Good for you! I would like to get my hands on that book. I'll see if my library has it. Thanks for the heads up!

Comment #2: Monday, May 31, 2010 at 10:26:30

Pussreboots

Yes. I'm going back to school for a masters in library science. I'm doing an online course through San Jose State.