Review:
Free and Public: Andrew Carnegie and the Libraries of Wales
by Ralph A. Griffiths From Planet 246
Alan Vaughan Hughes
reviews
Free and Public: Andrew Carnegie and the Libraries of Wales
by Ralph A. Griffiths
University of Wales Press, £11.99
Strolling into my local public library – the majestic Cathays in Cardiff – is something I take for granted. Its unusual ‘butterfly’ frontage of a narrow spire flanked by magnificent art nouveau wings ignites an impulsive curiosity to cajole the city commuter. Free and Public: Andrew Carnegie and the Libraries of Wales is a delightful account of how this enticing presence – and over thirty libraries across Wales, three thousand across the world – hatched from the philanthropic hunger of one of the wealthiest industrialists the world has ever seen.
Sign in to read moreAbout the author
Alan Vaughan Hughes is Head of Special Collections and Archives at Cardiff University Library and Vice-Chair of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, CILIP Cymru Wales.
