How much was lost when the Library of Alexandria burned?

Transcript

According to a medieval legend, the library of  Alexandria was destroyed on the orders of the Caliph Omar. There were so many books, the story  goes, that the only way to dispose of them was to use them as fuel in the city’s 4,000 bathhouses.  So into the furnaces they went, day after day, week after week, the wit and wisdom of a  thousand years go... Read More