Reading ‘The Madman’s Library’
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram) | Click here for audio version
“The Madman’s Library” by Edward Brooke-Hitching is an encyclopaedic book about weird books. Or as declared on its cover, it delves into “The Strangest Books, Manuscripts, and Other Literary Curiosities from History.”
Curiously enough, I first learned about this book from a close friend who was thrilled about reading it. She made a family member buy it for her as a birthday present as it cost quite a bit, about 3000 INR, which is almost 40 dollars. To put it in context as an Indian book buyer – you can buy the entire Harry Potter box set of seven books for almost the same price.
Interestingly, I managed to get the book for only Rs 899. How? When my friend ordered it, there were no available copies in India, so the bookseller had to ship it from the UK, and my friend had to bear the additional shipping cost. My guess is – the seller ordered a few extra copies along with her copy. My friend and I found this amusing, recognizing that she couldn’t really blame the seller for the higher initial cost. It’s not uncommon for bibliophiles to end up paying shipping fees for books that are not easily accessible in their countries, and this situation benefits other readers who can then purchase the books at a more affordable price.
Anyway, let’s get back to discussing “The Madman’s Library” and whether it lives up to the expectations set up by its tagline. For those who haven’t read or researched about strange books from around the world, Edward Brooke-Hitching’s book is a treasure trove of sorts, containing a wealth of information about all kinds of bizarre publications. From Bibles and Qurans written in blood, novels bound in human skin, and written directories of prostitutes around town, to books that make absolutely no sense, “The Madman’s Library” packs a peculiar collection of titles, their history, and the stories of their writers.
One of the most entertaining sections in this book is titled “Literary Hoaxes”, where the author delves into works that were meant to fool readers. “There is something thrilling about holding in your hand a book that was designed to deceive. Whether it was written out of satire, revenge or self-promotion and profit, a literary hoax is a lie with an extraordinary quality: physical form.”
A hilarious example of one such literary hoax is a book called “The Cruise of the Kawa: Wanderings in the South Seas” by Walter E. Traprock. The book was crafted to resemble a genuine travel journal, and despite containing many farcical elements, numerous readers believed it to be an authentic travelogue. Funnily, even the author’s name is fictitious, yet he was invited to give a lecture about his supposed travels by the National Geographic. It reminded me of more modern examples of literary hoaxes or gag gifts, like Shed Simove’s book ‘What Every Man Thinks About Apart from Sex’, which contains 200 blank pages and still sold thousands of copies.
However, the most fascinating story to emerge from ‘The Madman’s Library’ is about how an inmate of a mental asylum contributed significantly to a very important book of the English language – the Oxford English Dictionary. James Murray, who was working on the dictionary, had chosen to crowd-source entries and received thousands of quotations from a man named Dr. William Chester Minor, whose address was Broadmoor Asylum for the criminally insane. The two soon became pen-friends, and when Murray finally had the opportunity to meet William in person, he was shocked to discover that he was an inmate and not a doctor at the asylum. However, the two continued to be friends, and James Murray credited William for his staggeringly significant contribution to the dictionary. It’s funny how a man considered a madman, had the most impressive story in the “The Madman’s Library”.
Spread over 250 pages, “The Madman’s Library” by Edward Brooke-Hitching is filled with fascinating illustrations, photographs, and an array of crazy titles. From oddball science books to creepy religious texts and works on occult and witchcraft, this book contains all kinds of titles and tales. All these stories offer intriguing look at how humans have evolved and changed over the years. If you haven’t reads books about bizarre publications like this, it’s definitely worth checking out.
