A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books [Hardcover]

Nicholas A. Basbanes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1995

National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What a delightful book about books and people who love books! As a second generation bibliophile, a possible bibliomane who had several people move out of my house a year ago because they erroneously believed that my books were taking over the household, and a devout employee of "Earth's Biggest Bookstore," I can vouch that Basbanes accurately describes the glorious role of book collectors as archivists of human knowledge, and -- in continual counterpoint -- sometimes pathologically obsessed book junkies.

From Library Journal

In Part 1 of this informative and well-written work, syndicated book columnist Basbanes explores the history of book collecting from antiquity to the 1940s. This ground has been covered before, but Basbanes retells his story well; and, as the extensive notes and bibliography show, he has done his homework. Part 2 portrays the state of collecting in the 1980s, using a series of sketches of notable figures in the field. The material here derives from extensive interviews and therefore provides information available nowhere else. For instance, Basbanes tells the moving story of Aaron Lansky, who has dedicated himself to rescuing books in Yiddish, and offers the fullest published account of Stephen Blumberg's theft of 23,600 books from 268 libraries in 45 states. Anyone interested in books will want a copy of this.?Joseph Rosenblum, Guilford Technical Community Coll., Jamestown, N.C.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 638 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Company; 1st edition (August 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805036539
• ISBN-13: 978-0805036534
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #247,909 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Books

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

135 of 138 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you read, this book will become a prized volume...., June 30, 2000

By 

taking a rest - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books (Hardcover)

Literally anyone who enjoys reading will prize this book. I had mentioned and quoted briefly from the book on my personal page, and received questions about the work, as well as many people who said they too had the disease.

There is truly a Psychological condition that describes people obsessed with books, the condition is known as Bibliomania, derivatives include Bibliomaniac, and Bibliomane. The Author describes a condition of buying books you have no intention of reading. For most of us (I am afflicted) this means we buy and read books as much as we can. I have crossed over to collecting old books, and since they are in Latin, Greek, and other languages unknown to me, my defense that I will read them is weak.

You will read about a man who "collected" over 23,000 books from various libraries and other book outlets just to possess them. His library grew as he traveled around the Country adding to his collection. His taste was excellent and his library contained priceless volumes by the hundreds. His story illustrates how easy access is to rare books and further how they can be purloined. It is not a how to steal books section, just one amazing tale.

The book also documents the building/collection of some of the finest libraries in existence. The libraries are as varied as there are books. One women set out to build the definitive library of children's books, what she has collected will amaze you.

The attitudes of the caretakers of these works view themselves as just that, keepers for a time, their feelings about where books should be, and should never be will surprise you. What is done with many collections after the original assembler dies will also surprise you.

The book also educates the reader to the History of bookmaking, the few surviving Guttenberg Bibles, books from the cradle i.e. incunabula, produced prior to the year 1400ad.

This book will probably set you off to an antiquarian bookfair, for lovers of books it's a special experience. Hold a first edition by Galileo, see 1 page of a Guttenberg Bible that for $25,000-$30,000 can be yours. Or for the upscale shopper you can bid against Bill Gates for the Leicester Codex of Da Vinci, in round numbers bring about $40,000,000.

After you read the book, everything you read going forward will be enhanced. But tread carefully; the collection of old books is not an inexpensive hobby. On the other hand holding a book that is 500 years old can be a pretty heady experience.

Every library will be enhanced by this book.

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do Go Gentle, December 17, 1999

By 

David Robson (Wilmington, DE) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books (Hardcover)

Basbanes' book is a must for any serious bibliophile. It takes you, almost chronologically, through the history of creative collecting, from the ancient Greeks to the modern book maniac. Among others, you'll meet Samuel Pepys (he of the famous diary) and Princeton's William H. Scheide, a rich old coot who owns one of the few surviving Gutenberg Bibles. My favorites are the eccentrics, and there are plenty of them here. You know, the wackos whose houses are literally filled to the ceilings with books and nothing else. If I had the money and the chutzpah, that'd be me.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the price just for one chapter, August 18, 2004

By 

Ian Mccullough (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books (Paperback)

First, to enjoy this book, you really have to love books. Now, I'm not saying love *reading*, I mean the actual book. That graceful innovation that allows us to transmit our thoughts and feelings to others and through time. Basbanes has the love and speaks to others who share the affliction of bibliophilia.

In his chapter "The Blumberg Collection", Basbanes writes about the extreme of book mania, and I wrote this review to at least point the reader to this chapter. Get it from the library if you don't want to purchase the book, it's only 50 pages. It is best to discover this chapter on your own, but the outer fringe of book loving is pretty ugly, but great reading.

I really, really love books. I am a book dealer and gain deep pleasure from just knowing that I have a Great Books set (which I will probably never read) just in case I *need* to read Kant at some point. If you have more books than you could possibly ever read and love the feel, the look and the presence of your library, then take it from a kindred spirit that one of our kind has written a book for us.