Syria's secret library reading and redemption in a town under siege

"Daraya lies on the fringe of Damascus, just southwest of the Syrian capital. Yet for four years it lived in another world. Besieged by government forces early in the Syrian Civil War, its people were deprived of food, bombarded by heavy artillery, and under the constant fire of snipers. But deep be...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Thomson, Mike (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language:English
Published: New York : Public Affairs, 2019.
Edition:First US edition.
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Summary:"Daraya lies on the fringe of Damascus, just southwest of the Syrian capital. Yet for four years it lived in another world. Besieged by government forces early in the Syrian Civil War, its people were deprived of food, bombarded by heavy artillery, and under the constant fire of snipers. But deep beneath this scene of frightening devastation lay a hidden library. While the streets above echoed with shelling and rifle fire, the secret world below was a haven of books. Long rows of well-thumbed volumes lined almost every wall: bloated editions with grand leather covers, pocket-sized guides to Syrian poetry, and no-nonsense reference books, all arranged in well-ordered lines. But this precious horde was not bought from publishers or loaned by other libraries-they were the books salvaged and scavenged at great personal risk from the doomed city above"--
Item Description:"Originally published in the United Kingdom in 2019 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, an imprint of the Orion Publishing Group, Ltd."--verso of title page.
Physical Description:305 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations ; 25 cm
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references (pages 301-303).
ISBN:9781541767621
1541767624
Author Notes:Mike Thomson is a reporter and presenter for radio and television news. He has reported for BBC News from most of the world's most troubled and dangerous places. These have included: Syria, Somalia, Iraq, North Korea, Afghanistan, Darfur, DR Congo, Libya, North Sinai and the Central African Republic. He also writes regularly for several leading British newspapers including The Sunday Times, Sunday Telegraph, Daily Mail and The Independent . He lives in London.