Having said that, I will say that I learned a lot from this book and did enjoy reading it. One of the most fascinating details was that books used to be chained (up until the 16th century) to the bookshelf so they wouldn't be stolen.
Furthermore, bookshelves weren't what we commonly think of as a bookshelf today. Bookshelves back then were shaped like long lecterns with book after book after book laid on its side and chained to a long pole underneath the lecturn. There were benches in front of the lectern in which people could sit and read the books.
It wasn't until the title of the book and the author's name started being printed on the spine AND the press made hand-made books no longer necessary that bookshelves began to straighten up and have shelves on them like we have today and that books started being shelved spine out.
There are wonderful drawings in this book of the old lectern-style bookshelves and chained books as well as many other drawings that show the evolution of bookshelves. Along with the drawings are many other interesting details about books and library systems - how the stacks were built and why, mechanical moving library shelves and the lighting in libraries.
If you can stand the thought of being bored with some of the passages in this book, then definitely take the plunge and read it - it is truly interesting to find out where our books and bookshelves came from.
Rating: 7 / 10
ISBN: 9780375406492
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Edition: 1st Paperback Edition