The Royal Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt was once the largest in the world. It is generally assumed to have been founded at the beginning of the 3rd century BC, during the reign of Ptolemy II of Egypt, after Ptolemy's father had raised what would become the first part of the library complex, the temple of the Muses—the Musaeum (whence we get museum). At its peak, the Royal Library is believed to have held anywhere between 40,000 to 700,000 books and was initially organized by Demetrius Phalereus. It ...

Including:

• Library of Alexandria - Overview
• Library of Alexandria - Evidence for the existence of the Library after Caesar
• Library of Alexandria - Destruction of the pagan temples by Theophilus
• Library of Alexandria - Conclusions
• Library of Alexandria - Other libraries of the ancient world
• Library of Alexandria - The Library in Modern Fiction

Read more here: » Library of Alexandria: Encyclopedia - Library of Alexandria

One story holds that the Library was seeded with Aristotle's own private collection, through one of his students, Demetrius Phalereus. Another story concerns how its collection grew so large: By decree of Ptolemy III of Egypt, all visitors to the city were required to surrender all books and scrolls in their possession; these writings were then swiftly copied by official scribes. The originals were put into the Library, and the copies were delivered to the previous owners. While encroaching on the rights of the traveler or merchant, it also helped to creat ...

See also:

Library of Alexandria, Library of Alexandria - Overview, Library of Alexandria - Destruction of the Great Library, Library of Alexandria - Evidence for the existence of the Library after Caesar, Library of Alexandria - Destruction of the pagan temples by Theophilus, Library of Alexandria - Conclusions, Library of Alexandria - Other libraries of the ancient world, Library of Alexandria - The Library in Modern Fiction

Read more here: » Library of Alexandria: Encyclopedia II - Library of Alexandria - Overview