The Library of Alexandria was one of the wonders of the Ancient World, and it has haunted Western culture for over 2000 years. The Ptolemaic kings of Egypt - successors of Alexander the Great - had a staggering ambition: to house all of the books ever written under one roof. The author attempts to explain the vague and contradictory information about the library and especially the fate of its contents. Luciano Canfora is a specialist in ancient literature and has published a history of Greek literature and studies of Thucydides. He is the editor of the journal Quaderni di Storia. He teaches at the University of Bari. This book was the winner of the Latina Prize in 1987.