This book, which includes fourteen well-chosen illustrations, describes the crucial role libraries have played throughout history: in ancient Egypt, China, the classical Western world, Islam, and medieval and Renaissance Europe. It continues with the libraries of colonial America, The Library of Congress, university libraries, and today's large public library systems.

Throughout the twentieth century, libraries have both supported democratic institutions and have also been tools of Nazi and Soviet totalitarianism. At the dawn of the telecommunications and computer age, it is evident that libraries of the future will play a vital role in the preservation of crumbling books and documents, and in forming new ways of preserving our culture.