In 1815, Jefferson had sold his personal collection of 6,487 books to the Library helping to rebuild the holdings which had been destroyed when the British burned the Capitol during the War of 1812.

posted by landschaft_archt at 9:40 am (EST) on Nov 1, 2007

"Even the invention of printing did not at first modify the composition of libraries: religious books, poets and philosophers were the foundation light. Reading was provided by Homer or by the historian. The libraries of kings and those of the rich monasteries seldom counted more than a few thousand volumes..."

"Spinoza possessed less than sixty volumes, Kant collected three hundred, and half of his number were narratives of travel, for Kant had a frivolous side."

Ernest Dimnet in "The Art of Thinking"

posted by landschaft_archt at 4:53 pm (EST) on Jul 10, 2007