The Anatomy of Bibliomania - Softcover

Jackson, Holbrook

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0252070437 ISBN 13: 9780252070433

Publisher: University of Illinois Press, 2001

Synopsis

Jackson inspects the allure of books, their curative and restorative properties, and the passion for them that leads to bibliomania ("a genial mania, less harmful than the sanity of the sane"). His commentary addresses why we read, where we read (on journeys, at mealtimes, on the toilet -- this has "a long but mostly unrecorded history"--In bed, and in prison), and what happens to us when we read. He touches on bindings, bookworms, libraries, and the sport of book hunting, as well as the behavior of borrowers, embezzlers, thieves, and collectors. Francis Bacon, Anatole France, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Leigh Hunt, Marcel Proust, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Shakespeare, and scores of other luminaries chime in on books and their love for them.

About this title

From Library Journal:

A British "bookman," Jackson (1874-1948) here offers historical and cultural paeans to the book and to reading. The love of books is something nearly universal, though books have been reviled by certain cultures. Mostly, Jackson was a book nut who shared his love for the printed word, which, of course, includes libraries. These volumes were originally published in 1950, 1932, and 1947, respectively.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review:

"Mr. Jackson's cross-lights and unexpected illuminations are fascinating... among all his good things from other writers, his own good things should not be overlooked." -- Times Literary Supplement

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0252070437
• ISBN 13: 9780252070433
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 672