The greatest library in the world (that you’ve never heard of) burns down. |
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The most famous “World’s Greatest Library” ever consumed by fire is that of Alexandria over 2,000 years ago (thanks, Caesar)—we don’t know exactly what was lost but we know that it was a lot. This, perhaps, is what makes such a conflagration particularly tragic: we are tantalized by the eternally unknowable, those lost documents of human genius that may have—that surely!—held the key to wisdom, that would have shown us the way if only they hadn’t been destroyed…
And so it is with the destruction of the Hanlin Library, which at the time was certainly in the conversation for “World’s Greatest Library.” Part of the Hanlin Academy, an institution of learning founded in the 8th century in what is now Beijing, the Hanlin Library—and the accumulated wisdom therein—was lost to us in a fire on June 24, 1900, the result of clashes in the Boxer Rebellion during “The Siege of Peking.”
The Hanlin Academy, a sizable complex of buildings, had the misfortune of sitting adjacent to the quarters of the British Legation, which is where the Brits had consolidated their people—including Chinese Christians—in the face of the Dowager Empress’s ill-fated rebellion. Operating under the assumption that the Chinese would take extra care in their assault—out of veneration for the thousand years of cultural accumulation sitting right next door—the Brits were shocked to see the whole area go up in flames. But things get a little murky when it comes to responsibility: the Brits claimed the Chinese torched the place (as had been their approach to parts of the city abandoned by the colonizers during the rebellion), and the Chinese claimed the Brits set fire to the library as an act of cultural hostility. Whatever the case, the library was destroyed.
Unlike the great Library of Alexandria, we do have some idea of what was lost in the Hanlin fire, despite the fact that no known records of its contents survived. Renowned among its innumerable volumes was a massive 15th-century encyclopedia commissioned by the Ming Dynasty emperor Zhu Di in 1403. Called the Yongle Dadian, the encyclopedia contained some 22,000 sections, into which were crammed 370 million(!) words covering topics as varied as agriculture, drama, geology, medicine, art, history, and literature. To get a sense of the scope of the project, if you stacked every word in the Yongle Dadian one upon the other, they would reach the moon (do not attempt this by yourself).
The loss of the great encyclopedia represents but a fraction of the learning consumed by the fire and we can never know what other glimmerings of scholarly curiosity went forever dark on that day. Nonetheless, it remains heartbreaking to contemplate. And remember, when one “world’s greatest library” burns to the ground, another rises from the ashes of obscurity to take its place… So please, please, please don’t go smoking any cigarettes around the Bodleian.
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Credited with popularizing the label “ex-wife” in 1929, Ursula Parrott wrote provocatively about divorcées, career women, single mothers, work-life balance, and a host of new challenges facing modern women. Her best sellers, Hollywood film deals, marriages and divorces, and run-ins with the law made her a household name. Part biography, part cultural history, Becoming the Ex-Wife establishes Parrott’s rightful place in twentieth-century American culture, uncovering her neglected work and keen insights into American women’s lives during a period of immense social change.
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MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM
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“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of a Library.” |
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In other (old) news this week |
At a literary breakfast with a group of London booksellers, Samuel Johnson signs a contract, agreeing to compile A Dictionary of the English Language, one of the most influential English-language dictionaries ever published. (June 18, 1746) • Charles Darwin reads a paper that includes nearly identical conclusions about evolution as his own, prompting him to swiftly publish his theory (June 18, 1858) • Failed publisher Mark Twain purchases a house in Redding, CT and names it Stormfield, after his own short story "Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven” (June 18, 1908) • Henrik Ibsen arrives in Rome for a self-imposed exile from Norway that will last for 27 years. (June 19, 1864) • J.D. Salinger’s novella Hapworth 16, 1924 takes up most of today’s issue of the New Yorker; it will be Salinger’s last publication before his death (June 19, 1965) • “Bad Gay of History” Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray is published (June 20, 1890) • Jack London’s classic novel The Call of the Wild begins serialization in the Saturday Evening Post (June 20, 1903) • The US Supreme Court overturns a lower court ruling that found Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer to be obscene (June 22, 1964) • The theaters in London close due to an outbreak of bubonic plague; they will remain shuttered for 16 months (June 23, 1592) • Early writing cliché adopter Washington Irving’s iconic stories “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” are first published in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. under the name of Diedrich Knickerbocker (June 23, 1819) • The patent for the first typewriter (made with piano keys!) is issued (June 23, 1868) • Noted writer-runner Haruki Murakami completes his first ultramarathon (June 23, 1996).
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“Go for broke. Always try and do too much. Dispense with safety nets. Take a deep breath before you begin talking. Aim for the stars. Keep grinning. Be bloody-minded. Argue with the world. And never forget that writing is as close as we get to keeping a hold on the thousand and one things—childhood, certainties, cities, doubts, dreams, instants, phrases, parents, loves—that go on slipping, like sand, through our fingers.” |
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“First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.” |
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