Leicester expert’s tale of ancient library makes The Telegraph’s greatest books of 2025 list
Dr Selena Wisnom with the US edition of her Telegraph-listed book
A University of Leicester expert’s book explaining how ancient Mesopotamian knowledge shaped the roots of modern civilisation has been named as one of the Telegraph’s greatest books of 2025.
Dr Selena Wisnom’s The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of History was chosen by the newspaper’s roster of literary critics for the prestigious end-of-year list.
The book, from the University’s Lecturer in Heritage of the Middle East, delves into the discovery of the world’s first known library, which was unearthed by Victorian archaeologists in modern-day Iraq.
Dr Selena Wisnom with the UK edition of her book
The library was created by the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal, the ruler of a huge swathe of the ancient Middle East known as Mesopotamia. The discovery of the library’s texts, preserved on clay tablets, revealed a world of astonishing richness, complexity and sophistication. In the book, Dr Wisnom shows how Mesopotamia, was home to advanced mathematics, astronomy and banking, law and literature. It was a culture absorbed and developed by the ancient Greeks, and whose myths were precursors to Bible stories – in short, it was a culture without which our lives today would be unrecognisable.
“I’m so pleased to be chosen for this, and thrilled that the subject I care so much about is reaching such a broad audience,” said Dr Wisnom. “Ancient Mesopotamia is a fascinating place that is critical in world history, and I am delighted it is getting the attention it deserves.”
The work didn’t stop for Dr Wisnom when she’d finished the book, as she then spent months promoting it around the world.
She said: “I’ve spoken at events in the US and Europe, at book shops and festivals all over the UK, and on BBC 6Music with Cerys Matthews. I’ve been on podcasts such as History Hit, the Spectator Book Club, and BBC History Extra. I’ve written articles for BBC History magazine, Aspects of History, and History Today. For the American launch I went to Chicago and gave a talk at the ISAC museum and did a book signing in front of the Assyrian reliefs depicting the characters in the book, so I got to present a copy to the Assyrian kings themselves.”
You can listen back to Dr Wisnom’s podcast and radio appearances via her website.
Not one to let the grass grow under her feet, Dr Wisnom has a new book in the works, although for now, the details are being kept under wraps.