Publication

1999 - H. Holt, New York, New York (State)

Language

English

Word Count

159,500 words, Guess

Page Count

638 pages

Identifiers

and 4 more
  • Library of Congress Control Number99226880
  • OCLC Control Number41067878
  • Better World Books9780805061765
  • Open LibraryOL108296M

Classifications

  • DDC002/.075
  • LCCZ992 .B34 1999
  • LCCZ992.B34 1999

Description

The passion to possess books has never been more widespread than it is today; indeed, obsessive book collecting remains the only hobby to have a disease named after it. A Gentle Madness is an adventure among the afflicted. Author Nicholas Basbanes, a dedicated bibliophile himself, begins his book 2,200 years ago in Alexandria, when a commitment was made to gather all the world's knowledge beneath one roof. In a series of lively chapters, the continuum then passes through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the twentieth century with a special emphasis on book lore and book culture in Great Britain and North America. In the second half of A Gentle Madness, Basbanes offers a gallery of revealing profiles of living collectors and presents exclusive examinations of the great contemporary stories. The book also includes the most comprehensive bibliography on book collecting compiled in more than a quarter century.

Subjects

Links

Other Editions

  • A gentle madness: bibliophiles, bibliomanes, and the eternal passion for books : with a new prefaceH. Holt1999-01-01

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