New book on Book Burning

There is a new book coming out in May 2003 entitled, \”Libricide: The Regime-Sponsored Destruction of Books and Libraries in the Twentieth Century\”. Here is a description from Amazon:

\”Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings,\” declared German poet Heinrich Heine. Libricide identifies the regime-sponsored, ideologically driven and systemic destruction of books and libraries in the twentieth century that often served as a prelude or accompaniment to the massive human tragedies that have characterized a most violent century. As Knuth argues, the destruction of books and libraries by authoritarian regimes was sparked by the same impulses toward negation that provoked acts of genocide or ethnocide. Through case studies of libricide committed by Nazis, Serbs in Bosnia, Iraqis in Kuwait, and Maoists during the Cultural Revolution in China, and Chinese Communists in Tibet, Knuth illustrates the dynamics of book destruction. Anyone committed to freedom of expression and humanistic values will embrace this passionate and valuable book.\” (via Blog Drivers Waltz)