This is a study of the thirty-five Carnegie libraries built in towns and industrial communities in Wales before the First World War. It illustrates their social, cultural and architectural significance, and how they reflect the extraordinary philanthropic vision of 'the richest man in the world', Andrew Carnegie, at the turn of the century. Carnegie promoted libraries for all, regardless of age and gender, and this book discusses the locations, sites and patrons of the Carnegie libraries, concluding with their legacy in Wales and the role of Carnegie's UK Trust in the county library movement after 1911. Book jacket.