Biblioclasm – Every Reader’s Nightmare
Hello,
This week’s word is biblioclasm, a term that’s been on my “to post about” list for some time because I couldn’t bring myself to consider it. What is a biblioclasm? Although it doesn’t seem to appear in mainstream traditional dictionaries it is defined elsewhere as “the destruction of books, especially the bible” (note: the bible reference may be an error due to the biblio element of the word – see below) and there’s even a biblioclast – one who engages in the destruction of books.
Yep, it’s the type of idea that has bookworms bursting out in the shakes and having night terrors. I mean, what monster would do such a thing? Well, it happens more than you think and if you can bear to read about it I’d suggest the Wikipedia article on the topic as it’s pretty comprehensive. I had no idea, for example that there is a ritual cremation of damaged or partial copies of the Sikh’s sacred text, Guru Granth Sahib, as a mark of respect.
No books were harmed in the making of this image
Biblioclasm is a rarely used word in English which first appeared in print during the 1800s. Its roots are simple – it is compounded from biblio (book) and clasmos (breaking) – both from Greek. The breaking of the book doesn’t have to be via fire, although that’s frequent as they are rather flammable. I imagine with the advent of ebooks, it has become more difficult to eradicate all copies of a volume now. Ebooks don’t “go out of print” in quite the same way, do they?
Like many regular bookworms, I’ve reached (and long since passed) a point in my reading where my available bookshelf space is insufficient. There are bookshelves in nearly every room of our home but I’ve had to accept that I cannot keep every book. Breaking out the fire-pit for a biblioclasm wasn’t an option I was ever going to take so my friends, family, and local charity bookshop have all received regular donations over the years. There will be no biblioclasm here. My bookcases may make my home a fire hazard, but I can live with that.
Until next time happy reading, writing, and beware of biblioclasms,
Grace (@Wordfoolery)
