A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books by Nicholas A. Basbanes
My rating: 5/5 cats
i just found out that this book is out of print. what gives? if you are reading this review, you probably like books. so do yourself a favor and go to abe.com or bookfinder and get a copy. now. this is the most loving book about book lovers i have ever read. collectors, sellers, hunters, owners, thieves, protectors, the obsessed and the absolutely insane. it’s a nice fat book, but if you really are interested in books then it will be way too short for you. he is a great writer, and it’s a shame it is out of print. but maybe you can get it on kindle. sigh.
on a personal note (for once) right now my house looks like a crazy-house. the night before i left for rhode island there were 4 separate book avalanches because i think i have officially reached the supersaturation point of books-to-space. then last night when i returned, there were a couple more. which means the next step is… storage. and i have put it off as long as i can, but i think it is time.it is heartbreaking to me – who will tuck them in at night? who will touch them and love them and tell them they are special? why don’t i have a separate structure to house all my books, like one of the men in this book who converted houses and barns to accommodate his collection? (even though his was entirely stolen from libraries across the world) where are these wealthy book lovers who are bidding in auctions on tamerlane – why won’t they send a fraction of the cost to make me a little reading hut? (it can be in the space where the diner closed down – i’m not picky). why are there so many books i feel i need? after reading this book, i felt less alone in my sickness, but being aware of a sickness is not enough to cure it. i will never stop the ruthless wanting and needing and collecting – even if my collection is for reading and not for fancy displaying. i may have to split my time between here and the storage facility, like my books are victims of a messy divorce and i will be a weekend mommy to the storage books. they will never understand…
