{"product_id":"the-bad-ass-librarians-of-timbuktu-and-their-race-to-save-the-worlds-most-precious-manuscripts","title":"The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu and Their Race to Save the World's Most Precious Manuscripts","description":"\u003cdiv data-a-expander-name=\"book_description_expander\" data-a-expander-collapsed-height=\"280\" class=\"a-expander-collapsed-height a-row a-expander-container a-spacing-base a-expander-partial-collapse-container\" style=\"max-height: none; height: 280px;\"\u003e \u003cdiv data-expanded=\"false\" class=\"a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px;\"\u003e \u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e**New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice**\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eTo save ancient Arabic texts from Al Qaeda, a band of librarians pulls off a brazen heist worthy of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eOcean’s Eleven\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e in this “fast-paced narrative that is…part intellectual history, part geopolitical tract, and part out-and-out thriller” (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e) from the author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Falcon Thief\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the 1980s, a young adventurer and collector for a government library, Abdel Kader Haidara, journeyed across the Sahara Desert and along the Niger River, tracking down and salvaging tens of thousands of ancient Islamic and secular manuscripts that were crumbling in the trunks of desert shepherds. His goal: preserve this crucial part of the world’s patrimony in a gorgeous library. But then Al Qaeda showed up at the door.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Part history, part scholarly adventure story, and part journalist survey…Joshua Hammer writes with verve and expertise” (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e) about how Haidara, a mild-mannered archivist from the legendary city of Timbuktu, became one of the world’s greatest smugglers by saving the texts from sure destruction. With bravery and patience, Haidara organized a dangerous operation to sneak all 350,000 volumes out of the city to the safety of southern Mali. His heroic heist “has all the elements of a classic adventure novel” (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Seattle Times\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e), and is a reminder that ordinary citizens often do the most to protect the beauty of their culture. His the story is one of a man who, through extreme circumstances, discovered his higher calling and was changed forever by it.\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"a-expander-header a-expander-partial-collapse-header\" style=\"opacity: 1; display: block;\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"a-expander-content-fade\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"javascript:void(0)\" role=\"button\" data-action=\"a-expander-toggle\" class=\"a-declarative\" data-a-expander-toggle='{\"allowLinkDefault\":true, \"expand_prompt\":\"Read more\", \"collapse_prompt\":\"Read less\"}'\u003e\u003ci class=\"a-icon a-icon-extender-expand\"\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-expander-prompt\"\u003eRead more\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50548246741277,"sku":"9781476777412","price":13.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0901\/5692\/5213\/files\/9781476777412.jpg?v=1761676724","url":"https:\/\/bookdelico.com\/products\/the-bad-ass-librarians-of-timbuktu-and-their-race-to-save-the-worlds-most-precious-manuscripts","provider":"Book Delico ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}