In ancient Alexandria, knowledge was more valuable than gold. During the 3rd century BCE, the Great Library carried out one of history’s most audacious acquisition campaigns—not by trade or diplomacy, but by force. Every ship that entered Alexandria’s harbor was searched, not for weapons or contraband, but for books. Any manuscript found was confiscated, copied, and replaced with a duplicate while the original was kept forever. This is the story of how the world’s greatest library turned state p