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5th out of 149 books
—
157 voters
A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books
When it was first published, A Gentle Madness astounded and delighted readers with stories about the lengths of passion, expense, and more that collectors will go in pursuit of the book. Written before the emergence of the Internet but newly updated for the twenty-first century reader, A Gentle Madness captures that last moment in time when collectors frequented dusty book...more
Paperback, 668 pages
Published
March 15th 1999
by Owl Books
(first published 1995)
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This review has been revised (there is a new edition of the book) and can now be found at Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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...more
I first started reading this book soon after it was released. At that time I found it interesting, but got bored and put it down. I kept thinking, "It's more fun to collect books than it is to read about collecting books!" Recently I picked up this volume again, gave it a second chance, and couldn't stop reading! Don't know what made the difference. But the second time around I was spellbound. Maybe it's that I'm a lot like Basbanes, actually. Not to mention the fact that I see myself in many of...more
I don't know...I see all the 5 star ratings and, I guess some people were looking for or expecting something different from this book than I was. I found a great deal of it extremely interesting. The parts that seemed to be giving insight into bibliomania grabbed and held me. Too often however I found the book devolving into lists of books from given collections (and he opened the next wood box to reveal a vintage volume of Shakespeare) and/or what these books went for at auction. There were pag...more
If you're a reader, a collector. If you love libraries, if you're fascinated by the intrigue of the business of "collecting," then you should more than enjoy this book. Books are big business, people sometimes literally die for books. Collectors are ruthless. Auctions are outrageous. Collections are made and destroyed. Books fuel an underground economy most of us are totally unaware of.
A Gentle Madness is a wonderful history of the book and some of the greatest book lovers of the world. At times...more
A Gentle Madness is a wonderful history of the book and some of the greatest book lovers of the world. At times...more
A teetering tower of books with a filmy clothed girl of perhaps 14 sitting on top. A few choice beasts winding their way around the stacks. Description of...what? Well, only a picture I wish I could draw. But when I think of bibliophilia, I think of that. This not me coming out as a closeted book pervert. Quite the opposite. These children, in history and literature, were supposed to represent the innocent and quiet nature of learning, or knowledge. At least, that is how I have seen it widely i...more
I'm not sure that i actually fall into the category of bibliophile or bibliomaniac, although i've often called myself one. I do have a collection of over 3,000 books (there are still so many in boxes that i haven't catalogued them all) but many of them i just bought because i wanted to read them and was afraid they might go out of print before i got a chance more than because i wanted to own a valuable possession. There are a few i own because i want to OWN, or read again, and again, but i am no...more
For those fellow travelers who fear the demise of printed books
This review is from: A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books (Paperback)
Many of us inveterate readers of books treasure the solitary time spent with a solid book in hand, the scent of ink, the ability to make little notes in the margins that are particularly meaningful, that holy grail of private time that somehow erases all anxiety at eh moment a cover is opened and a bookmark traced to the las...more
This review is from: A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books (Paperback)
Many of us inveterate readers of books treasure the solitary time spent with a solid book in hand, the scent of ink, the ability to make little notes in the margins that are particularly meaningful, that holy grail of private time that somehow erases all anxiety at eh moment a cover is opened and a bookmark traced to the las...more
Oh, the lure of books, any kind of book. Any bibliophile who’s ever held a long-coveted, long-sought book in their hand knows this feeling. With old books, there is the thrill of discovery, the sensual weight and feel of the book in your hand, the scent of cinnamon and mustard that heralds the slow decay, the ragged edges of uncut pages or the feel of genuine leather with gold tooling.
Mr. Basbanes went in search of people who make books their loves, their grand passions, their holy grails. He s...more
Mr. Basbanes went in search of people who make books their loves, their grand passions, their holy grails. He s...more
While writing his memoirs, the grandson of the seventeenth century bibliomaniac Isaiah Thomas euphemized that his grandfather suffered from “the gentlest of infirmities.” Taking this quotation as inspiration for the title is somewhat of a misnomer, however, as Basbane’s book only partly concerns itself with bibliomania. Primarily, it is a fascinating survey of the history of book collecting. Basbane stylistically blends the erudition, research and paranoid self-qualification of historical schola...more
This is the book to pick up if you feel guilty about having too many books: Basbanes tells of book collectors and their passion, describing the need to have many books and to keep them (and, occasionally, read them) as a psychological condition its sufferers have no need or desire to be cured of.
More at my blog.
More at my blog.
Unfortunately, I didn't manage to finish this whopper of a book before I had to return it to the library. But one doesn't have to read the whole book in order to feel and enjoy its absolute readability. Though please note that the five star rating I have awarded the book is not based on the reading of the complete book.
It is a book about bibliophiles and bibliomanes and in itself is a book one could become addicted to.
To my mind it would be an absolute luxury to have had the time to indulge myse...more
It is a book about bibliophiles and bibliomanes and in itself is a book one could become addicted to.
To my mind it would be an absolute luxury to have had the time to indulge myse...more
One of my very favorites. I own two copies and have given others to fellow bibliophiles. I'd say I too suffer from this Gentle Madness, but "suffer" is such the wrong word. There is so much pleasure in being mad for books. I'm also mad for book-lovers, what wonderfully interesting folk we are!
A group of us went to see/hear Mr. Basbanes when he was invited to speak at a local college. I had never heard of him but was assured that the evening would not be wasted.The evening was totally enjoyable and Mr. Basbanes is a speaker who can really hold his audience. When he finished I was sorry that it was over and that the event was held in a huge lecture hall. I would like to invite a handful of book-loving friends to my house for a little food, a little drink, and an all-night Basbanes mara...more
This is a favorite of mine. Basbanes has a wonderful and inviting way of describing the 'bibliophile' condition. All hardcore readers should read Basbanes' work. You'll learn so much!
There is the occasional book that becomes a quiet, highly regarded work without the help of the critic, librarian or teacher. Quite the contrary, is is not the type of work that shakes anyone: it just becomes one of the best in its field.
I remember the time I had read it, simply spell bound by the stories and characters that made up the whole of this book. It comes up again now for me because I've pulled it down from the shelf and am not very systematically going through it all over again.
I can...more
I remember the time I had read it, simply spell bound by the stories and characters that made up the whole of this book. It comes up again now for me because I've pulled it down from the shelf and am not very systematically going through it all over again.
I can...more
Encyclopedic in scope. I doggedly read 240 pages out of 533 (638 if you want to include footnotes, bibliography and index). Every major book collector since the beginning of time is probably listed and discussed. The ones who had the forsight to gather contempory material were interesting. The ones who purchased books for their rarity and then locked them in bank vaults were strange and boring after the first couple. There were interesting bits on the history of books and libraries beginning wit...more
This is a wonderful book. It's one of those books I would not want to read at 1 sitting (a rare opinion for me) but like to use as a vacation from other books or after reading a particularly intense or long book.
Basbanes writes lovingly & with obvious fascination (maybe even admiration) of book lovers and their obsessions. His writing is itself gentle and his interest in the subject communicates itself to the reader. Although reading is my greatest passion, maybe in a sense my most real lif...more
Basbanes writes lovingly & with obvious fascination (maybe even admiration) of book lovers and their obsessions. His writing is itself gentle and his interest in the subject communicates itself to the reader. Although reading is my greatest passion, maybe in a sense my most real lif...more
Everyone who loves reading should pick up this book. It's a fascinating trip through the history of literature and those that love it.
I feel so much better about my book collecting habits after reading this, because I am much less crazy than some of these people. Really, though, it's a completely absorbing book, packed with marvelous collections, passionate (often too passionate) collectors, and interesting tidbits about books and booklovers, from ancient days to the present. I especially loved the examination of a Gutenberg Bible owned by collector William Scheide, who shows it to Basbanes and goes over it in tiny, fascinatin...more
Mar 24, 2012
Joel
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Prisoners, Mental Patients, those with nothing but time who are looking for crappy ways to fill it.
BORING!!!
It sounded like an interesting premise "bibliomaniacs!" The collectors who go nuts collecting books around the world, the history of people obsessed with books, etc.
But when I got into it, the author spends page after page rattling off unconnected and mostly uninteresting anecdotes. I made it through the first chapter, (all 48, virtually unconnected pages of it) and decided to throw in the towel. If an author can't make the first chapter compelling, and obviously has little ability to e...more
It sounded like an interesting premise "bibliomaniacs!" The collectors who go nuts collecting books around the world, the history of people obsessed with books, etc.
But when I got into it, the author spends page after page rattling off unconnected and mostly uninteresting anecdotes. I made it through the first chapter, (all 48, virtually unconnected pages of it) and decided to throw in the towel. If an author can't make the first chapter compelling, and obviously has little ability to e...more
If you are truly passionate about books, you will love this. That doesn't mean anyone who loves to read. I mean if you love the bindings, the smells, the paper, the presses, limited edition, provenance, points...
There are just too many amazing and hilarious anecdotes to pick one. Learn about libraries and books through history in the first part. Then read about the modern intrigues of the Garden Limited sale, the Henry Ransom Humanities Research Center in Austin, Stephen Blumberg (the greatest b...more
There are just too many amazing and hilarious anecdotes to pick one. Learn about libraries and books through history in the first part. Then read about the modern intrigues of the Garden Limited sale, the Henry Ransom Humanities Research Center in Austin, Stephen Blumberg (the greatest b...more
What a cast of characters! Apparently deep pockets are the common denominator among book collectors. Here are stories of many rich men, and a few women, able to hold the auction paddle aloft as prices soar into the millions. Able to purchase their hearts' desire, whether it's a Gutenberg Bible or a Faaulkner manuscript.
But the most fasctinating story is that of Steven Blumburg, a man who, despite having the funds to purchase books, elected instead to "liberate" tens of thousands of them from col...more
But the most fasctinating story is that of Steven Blumburg, a man who, despite having the funds to purchase books, elected instead to "liberate" tens of thousands of them from col...more
An interesting read, if you're passionate about books. For anyone else, too much information. The book has no discernible structure; it just meanders through the world of book collecting, telling wonderful stories of the crazed, the insane, and the way too rich -- all of whom apparently have craved the odd First Folio or Gutenberg Bible. The stories make the book; just don't expect any narrative direction. This is a collection of anecdotes arranged thematically, the result of indefatigable resea...more
This is a very thorough account of book collecting filled with interesting stories of people throughout the ages that carry/ied an enormous passion for books.
There is two things that the book covered too extensively for my taste, money,and american collecting together with the collecting of americana/s.
The former is indeed an essential part of bookcollecting, but the figures could as well relate to the price of Angeldust (for those of us of more modest means). This rendered the detailing, well.....more
There is two things that the book covered too extensively for my taste, money,and american collecting together with the collecting of americana/s.
The former is indeed an essential part of bookcollecting, but the figures could as well relate to the price of Angeldust (for those of us of more modest means). This rendered the detailing, well.....more
This book was one of the readings for my class in Rare Books Librarianship, and it is one of the best non-fiction books I've ever been assigned. Basbanes takes the reader through an entertaining exploration of the world of rare books and book collecting. He discusses a fascinating group of people - mostly collectors but also some dealers and librarians - ranging from charming and distinguished scholarly types to highly eccentric and even obsessed bibliophiles. While he covers several historical...more
Sep 02, 2010
Benjamin Thomas
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
books-about-books
For quite some time now (more than 20 years) I have classified myself as a bibliophile. In my mind that means I love books...everything about them from reading them to collecting them and in my dreams I like to write them. So it was with great anticipation that I began to read "A Gentle Madness" by Nicholas A. Basbanes.
The title alone is fantastic. I can think of no better way to describe the often illogical mania people like me have for books. We are, I think mad in many ways and yet it is a n...more
The title alone is fantastic. I can think of no better way to describe the often illogical mania people like me have for books. We are, I think mad in many ways and yet it is a n...more
A Gentle Madness, Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books is the best book about books that I have ever read, with the possible exception of everything else Nicholas A. Basbanes has written. It is a treasure for anyone who loves to read, or anyone who collects books. However, it is primarily a book of stories. That is where he starts in the first chapter, with a trip to Iowa and a story about how and why he was there.
I also enjoyed touring some famous libraries, both persona...more
I also enjoyed touring some famous libraries, both persona...more
Most people would probably read this book and be shocked by the eccentric behaviors of these bibliophiles...I on the other hand was inspired...ha ha. This is a wonderful book that delves into a the world of people driven by a passion for books. Nicholas Basbanes brings to life these people with richness and depth beyond simply reporting. Books are my passion, they excite me, they comfort me, and they inspire my mind and heart. This book illustrates the passion that books have always had in my li...more
If one can subject him-or herself to the attacks of sickening envy that will inevitably strike those of us who don't have 75,000 dollars to blow on that extra-special tome, this book will prove to be a delight indeed. For those with weaker natures and thinner bank accounts, however, this book is an array of special tortures calculated to drive one mad with covetousness. An inspiration to bulk up my paltry collection, as well as a glimpse of high-rolling bibliomania that I can never hope to achie...more
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“For him that stealeth, or borroweth and returneth not, this book from its owner,
Let it change into a serpent in his hand and rend him.
Let him be struck with palsy and all his members blasted.
Let him languish in pain crying out for mercy,
Let there be no surcease to his agony till he sink in dissolution.
Let bookworms gnaw his entrails in token of the worm that dieth not.
When at last he goeth to his final punishment,
Let the flames of Hell consume him forever.
[attributed to the Monastery of San Pedro in Barcelona, Spain]”
—
13 people liked it
Let it change into a serpent in his hand and rend him.
Let him be struck with palsy and all his members blasted.
Let him languish in pain crying out for mercy,
Let there be no surcease to his agony till he sink in dissolution.
Let bookworms gnaw his entrails in token of the worm that dieth not.
When at last he goeth to his final punishment,
Let the flames of Hell consume him forever.
[attributed to the Monastery of San Pedro in Barcelona, Spain]”
“With thought, patience, and discrimination, book passion becomes the signature of a person's character. ”
—
12 people liked it
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Apr 11, 2013 12:02am