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Jerusalem

City of the Book
By Benjamin Balint and Merav Mack
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3.83 goodreads logo

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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Jerusalem by Benjamin Balint and Merav Mack delves into the city's role as a custodian of religious texts and a centre of cultural and spiritual exchange. The book examines the interplay between its libraries, archives, and collections, highlighting Jerusalem's historical significance and the diverse narratives it has preserved over centuries. It's an exploration of how the city has become a symbol for both unity and division throughout history.
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Format: Hardback
$5399
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by Jerusalem's rich history and its role as a crossroads of culture and religion. It delves into the city's libraries and their preservation of ancient knowledge, offering a unique perspective that blends cultural anthropology with historical narrative. This book may appeal to you if you're interested in exploring the intersection of sacred texts and their influence on the city's diverse communities over the centuries.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A captivating journey through the hidden libraries of Jerusalem, where some of the world’s most enduring ideas were put into words.

In this enthralling book, Merav Mack and Benjamin Balint explore Jerusalem’s libraries to tell the story of this city as a place where some of the world’s most enduring ideas were put into words. The writers of Jerusalem, although renowned the world over, are not usually thought of as a distinct school; their stories as Jerusalemites have never before been woven into a single narrative. Nor have the stories of the custodians, past and present, who safeguard Jerusalem’s literary legacies.

By showing how Jerusalem has been imagined by its writers and shelved by its librarians, Mack and Balint tell the untold history of how the peoples of the book have populated the city with texts. In their hands, Jerusalem itself—perched between East and West, antiquity and modernity, violence and piety—comes alive as a kind of labyrinthine library.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Jerusalem by Benjamin Balint and Merav Mack has been praised for its engaging, almost thriller-like narrative involving historical texts and intrigue, offering a fresh perspective on the city's rich literary history. Critics highlight its ability to immerse readers in an intellectual journey, acting as a testament to the cultural and religious intersections within Jerusalem. It's celebrated for shedding light on the coexistence of diverse traditions and presenting Jerusalem as a place of continual wonder and historical depth.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780300222852

Publisher: Yale University Press

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 25 June 2019

Country: United States

Imprint: Yale University Press

Illustration: 11 color + 23 b-w illus.

Contributors:

  • By Frédéric Brenner

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 156.0mm

Height: 235.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 272

Collections

Ancient & Classical History Benjamin Balint History & Archaeology History & Military Merav Mack Middle Eastern History Non-Fiction

About the Author

Merav Mack is a historian and scholar of contemporary religion affiliated with the Harry S. Truman Research Institute at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the German Protestant Institute for Archaeology at Augusta Victoria. Her current research focuses on Christian minorities in the Middle East. Benjamin Balint is a writer and translator based at the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem. His previous books include Running Commentary and Kafka’s Last Trial.

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