after the jesuit order was dissolved in 1773, the books stored in its brussels house were sent to the belgian royal library, which, however, had no room to accommodate them. the books were therefore kept in a vacant jesuit church. as the church was infested with mice, the librarians had to devise a plan to protect the books. the secretary of the belgian literary society was commissioned to select the best and most useful books; these were placed on shelves in the centre of the nave, while all the others were left on the floor. it was thought that the mice would gnaw their ways around the edges, leaving the central core intact.

alberto manguel, a history of reading