A Times / sunday times BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021

shortlisted for the hwa non-fiction crown 2022

the library, a fragile history

Famed across the known world, jealously guarded by private collectors, built up over centuries, destroyed in a single day, ornamented with gold leaf and frescoes or filled with bean bags and children's drawings - the history of the library is rich, varied and stuffed full of incident.

In this, the first major history of its kind, Andrew Pettegree and I explore the contested and dramatic history of the library, from the famous collections of the ancient world to the embattled public resources we cherish today. Along the way, we introduce you to the antiquarians and philanthropists who shaped the world's great collections, trace the rise and fall of fashions and tastes, and reveal the high crimes and misdemeanours committed in pursuit of rare and valuable manuscripts.

In doing so, we reveal that while collections themselves are fragile, often falling into ruin within a few decades, the idea of the library has been remarkably resilient as each generation makes — and remakes — the institution anew.

The Library, A Fragile History is essential reading for booklovers, collectors, and anyone who has ever gotten blissfully lost in the stacks.

Published by Profile in the UK and Basic Books in the USA, The Library, A Fragile History is now available to order in paperback.

 the first history of the origins of newspaper advertising

Arthur der Weduwen and Andrew Pettegree, THE DUTCH REPUBLIC AND THE BIRTH OF MODERN ADVERTISING (Leiden: Brill, 2020)

The history of newspaper advertising began in the seventeenth-century Low Countries. The newspaper publishers of the Dutch Republic were the first to embrace advertisements, decades before their peers in other news markets in Europe. In this survey, Andrew Pettegree and I have brought together the first 6,000 advertisements placed in Dutch and Flemish newspapers between 1620 and 1675. Provided here in an English translation, and accompanied by seven indices, this work provides for the first time a complete overview of the development of newspaper advertising and its impact on the Dutch book trade, economy and society. In these evocative announcements, ranging from advertisements for library auctions, the publication of new books, pamphlets and maps to notices of crime, postal schedules or missing pets, the seventeenth century is brought to life. This survey offers a unique perspective on daily life, personal relationships and societal change in the Dutch Golden Age.

The Dutch Republic and the Birth of Modern Advertising is accompanied by a 650-page survey which includes an English translation of the first 6,000 advertisements to be placed in Dutch and Flemish newspapers, as well as seven detailed indices. This survey is available with Brill as News, Business and Public Information. Advertisements and Announcements in Dutch and Flemish Newspapers, 1620-1675.