The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami

• The Cat Returns (2002) is a fantasy story about a young girl who can talk to cats. After she saves an apparent street cat, she gets inducted into the world of the Cat Kingdom.
• Ponyo (2008) is the name of a goldfish found by a young boy, but in real...

• The Library of Pergamum was constructed in the third century B.C. by members of the Attalid dynasty in modern-day Turkey.
• It was housed in a temple complex devoted to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.
• The ancient chronicler Pliny the Elder said the Library of Pergamum ...

The idea of a universal library proved to be a game-changer. Alexandria inspired other cities to create rival "universal libraries," such as the Library of Pergamum in today's Turkey.

The Great Library's main structure was likely burned in 48BCE when Ptolemy XIII laid a si...