First edition, later printing. Near fine in near fine jacket. The story of ancient libraries is told from their very beginning when books were just clay tablets and writing was a new phenomenon. Through the royal libraries of the ancient Near East, the private and public libraries of Greece and Rome and the first libraries of the Christian monasteries, this delightful tour explores the development of ancient library buildings and the science of organizing books in them. Black and white illustrations throughout. Index. From the Thomas M. Whitehead Collection of Books About Books.