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In the early First World War (August 25th 1914) the German army destroyed the University Library of Leuven with its 300,000 books including many irreplaceable Gothic and Renaissance manuscripts. In the 1930s and 1940s The Nazis burned Jewish ”degenerate” books. When Stalin was in power he circulated long lists of books and pictures that should be burned on sight In World War II, the University Library at Leuven was attacked again and 900,000 books destroyed; this follows the 300,000 in the First World War). When the Nazis invaded Poland all Polish Libraries were closed and their books pulped. Similarly the Japanese destroyed numerous Chinese libraries.

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