| Acknowledgments | p. viii |
| Preface | p. ix |
| In the Cradle of Libraries | p. 1 |
| The Papyrus Region | p. 6 |
| Islam of the First Days | p. 42 |
| People of the Book | p. 73 |
| Asia before the Twentieth Century | p. 80 |
| The Christian West | p. 112 |
| The New Biblioclasts | p. 169 |
| Peace Damages | p. 238 |
| An Embarrassment of Modernity | p. 267 |
| Flameproof Knowledge | p. 282 |
| Epilogue: Return to Alexandria | p. 292 |
| The Great Writers Are Unanimous: Delenda est bibliotheca! | p. 300 |
| A Short History of the Census of Lost Books with a Legend to Bring It to a Close-The Hidden Library | p. 316 |
| A Selective Chronology | p. 322 |
| Notes | p. 328 |
| Bibliography | p. 343 |
| Index | p. 363 |