The saying goes that you know you’re a book lover when you still get upset thinking about the destruction of the Library of Alexandria. As many as 400,00 scrolls and whatever wisdom they contained have long since been ashes.
What to feel then, about a modern day collection of knowledge that not burned, but nevertheless hidden away?
James Somers has a long-form article in The Atlantic that tells the tale of Google Books: the catalysts behind its creation and its seeming demise. It raises interesting questions about copyright and the free dissemination of knowledge. (The title is a bit click-bait-esque though).
For comparison, Google Books boasts about 25 million volumes, compared to the Library of Congress’ almost 24 million catalogued books. I would imagine there must be crossover.
I’m also pretty sure there’s several million books I wouldn’t want to read –outdated computer software guides alone probably take up the shelf space of seven Costcos– but it sure is interesting to think about.