A gentle madness
bibliophiles, bibliomanes, and the eternal passion for books
by Nicholas A. Basbanes
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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.
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Previews available in: English
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A gentle madness: bibliophiles, bibliomanes, and the eternal passion for books
1995, H. Holt and Co.
in English
- 1st ed.
0805036539 9780805036534
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2
A gentle madness: bibliophiles, bibliomanes, and the eternal passion for books : with a new preface
1999, H. Holt
in English
- 1st Owl books ed.
0805061762 9780805061765
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1
A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes and the Eternal Passion for Books
February 2002, Diane Pub Co
Hardcover
in English
0756753392 9780756753399
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Book Details
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Includes bibliographical references (p. 575-612) and index.
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