Includes bibliographical references (pages 267-280) and index.

Part 1 The Library through Time Chapter 1 Adventures in Ancient Greek and Roman Libraries, Edith Hall -- Chapter 2 The Image of the Medieval Library, Richard Gameson -- Chapter 3 The Renaissance Library and the Challenge of Print, Andrew Pettegree -- Chapter 4 From Printing Shop to Bookshelves: How Books Began the Journey to Enlightenment Libraries, Robert Darnton -- Chapter 5 "The Advantages of Literature": The Subscription Library in Georgian Britain, David Allan -- Chapter 6 Literature and the Library in the Nineteenth Century, John Sutherland -- Part 2 The Library in Imagination. Chapter 7 The Library in Fiction, Marina Warner -- Chapter 8 The Library in Poetry, Robert Crawford -- Chapter 9 The Library in Film: Order and Mystery, Laura Marcus -- Part 3 The Library Now and in the Future Chapter 10 "Casting and Gathering": Libraries, Archives, and the Modern Writer, Stephen Enniss -- Chapter 11 Meanings of the Library Today, John P. Wilkin -- Chapter 12 The Modern Library and Global Democracy, James H. Billington.

"Tracing what the library has meant since its beginning, examining how its significance has shifted, and pondering its importance in the twenty-first century, significant contributors--including the librarian of the Congress and the former executive director of the HathiTrust--present a cultural history of the library"--Dust jacket flap.