Project Gutenberg 2006-11-14 Public domain in the USA. 277 Stephen, Geo. A. (George Arthur) 1880 1934 Stephen, George Arthur 17025525 Three Centuries of a City Library an Historical and Descriptive Account of the Norwich Public Library Established in 1608 and the present Public Library opened in 1857 Transcribed from the 1917 Norwich Public Library Committee edition by David Price "Three Centuries of a City Library" by Geo. A. Stephen is a historical account written in the early 20th century. The book chronicles the establishment and evolution of the Norwich Public Library from its inception in 1608 to the opening of the current public library in 1857. It details the unique role Norwich played in the history of libraries within England, highlighting the significant donations and the societal impacts of the library through the centuries. The opening of the book sets the stage for the detailed history awaiting readers. It recounts the origins of the Norwich Public Library, emphasizing its establishment as potentially the first provincial public library in England under municipal control. The author indicates that the initial purpose of the library was to serve the clergy while progressively becoming accessible to a broader audience. It further alludes to the challenges faced during its early years, including the neglect of books and the eventual development of lending systems, all while engaging readers with a sense of local pride and historical significance. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 57.2 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Norwich (England). Public Libraries Z Text Category: History - British Category: History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750) Category: History - Modern (1750+) Category: History - Schools & Universities 260994 2025-10-08T10:41:09.375148 text/html 258688 2006-11-17T01:50:11 text/html 1275916 2025-10-08T10:41:17.087094 application/epub+zip 1273172 2025-10-08T10:41:12.340149 application/epub+zip 156700 2025-10-08T10:41:11.096169 application/epub+zip 1419650 2025-10-08T10:41:20.193078 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1395697 2025-10-08T10:41:16.104097 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 197714 2022-09-09T11:19:47.708725 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 232487 2025-10-08T10:41:08.641130 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 232452 2006-11-17T01:59:27 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18643 2025-10-08T10:41:20.334064 application/rdf+xml 12984 2025-10-08T10:41:11.607140 image/jpeg 3217 2025-10-08T10:41:11.351138 image/jpeg 1133783 2006-11-17T01:59:28 application/octet-stream application/zip 82820 2006-11-17T01:59:27 application/octet-stream application/zip 1260888 2025-10-08T10:41:09.429116 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog