Knowing Too Much. Organizing Scientific Information Before the Modern Era

The Internet and digital technologies generate an overwhelming flow of texts, which poses the danger of information overload. However, this phenomenon is not unique to our era. Centuries ago - especially after the invention of printing in Europe in the mid-15th century - scholars complained about the surplus of books.

Ann Blair explores the means that had to be devised to cope with this torrent of texts.

In her work, she traces methods of information management in Antiquity and the Middle Ages, in traditional Islamic and Chinese cultures, and also pays special attention to the tools and practices used in early modern Europe.

By combining intellectual history with the history of the book, Blair once again emphasizes the inevitable continuity of the past and present.