Rating: 
Summary: A long journey through books and libraries
Review: And I do mean long! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about ancient/historic libraries and bibliophiles (Part One), but when I got into Part Two, I started wondering if I would ever finish the book. The stories of various book collectors and their quirks are fascinating, but they do seem to go on and on...and on. I'm tentatively looking forward to reading the next book on this theme, "Patience and Fortitude". I have the feeling that I'll need both these qualities to make it through!
Rating:
Summary: A long journey through books and libraries
Review: And I do mean long! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about ancient/historic libraries and bibliophiles (Part One), but when I got into Part Two, I started wondering if I would ever finish the book. The stories of various book collectors and their quirks are fascinating, but they do seem to go on and on...and on. I'm tentatively looking forward to reading the next book on this theme, "Patience and Fortitude". I have the feeling that I'll need both these qualities to make it through!
Rating: 
Summary: Collectors through the ages
Review: Basbanes' beautifully produced book explores the sometimes strange world of book collectors throughout history - from Mark Antony's looting of 20,000 volumes from the library at Pergamum as a gift to Cleopatra's rival library in Alexandria, to the skilled career of Stephen Blumberg, who seldom washed but built his personal collection by stealing rare books from libraries all across the country. As of Basbanes' publication, he was due to get out of jail the following year.In a lively anecdotal style equally reverent and irreverent, Basbanes devotes the first half of his book to the lore and history of book collections throughout the world and the second half to well-researched and even gossipy profiles of the world's foremost living collectors. A delightful book which will make a fine addition to any collection no matter how small.
Rating:
Summary: Do Go Gentle
Review: Basbanes' book is a must for any serious bibliophile. It takes you, almost chronologically, through the history of creative collecting, from the ancient Greeks to the modern book maniac. Among others, you'll meet Samuel Pepys (he of the famous diary) and Princeton's William H. Scheide, a rich old coot who owns one of the few surviving Gutenberg Bibles. My favorites are the eccentrics, and there are plenty of them here. You know, the wackos whose houses are literally filled to the ceilings with books and nothing else. If I had the money and the chutzpah, that'd be me.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth the price just for one chapter
Review: First, to enjoy this book, you really have to love books. Now, I'm not saying love *reading*, I mean the actual book. That graceful innovation that allows us to transmit our thoughts and feelings to others and through time. Basbanes has the love and speaks to others who share the affliction of bibliophilia.
In his chapter "The Blumberg Collection", Basbanes writes about the extreme of book mania, and I wrote this review to at least point the reader to this chapter. Get it from the library if you don't want to purchase the book, it's only 50 pages. It is best to discover this chapter on your own, but the outer fringe of book loving is pretty ugly, but great reading.
I really, really love books. I am a book dealer and gain deep pleasure from just knowing that I have a Great Books set (which I will probably never read) just in case I *need* to read Kant at some point. If you have more books than you could possibly ever read and love the feel, the look and the presence of your library, then take it from a kindred spirit that one of our kind has written a book for us.
Rating:
Summary: A reminder that us biblioholics are not alone....
Review: For a book so long, I was finished reading it in quite a short amount of time - because I did not want to stop. The tales of various book collectors were fascinating and gave me a sense of the varieties of my madness for book collecting. Although I do not have the desires, pickiness, nor funds to do that which some of the subjects of the book have done I am quite pleased to find my humble collecting habits at least behaviorally in good company.
Rating:
Summary: Collect This!
Review: For anyone who has felt the joy of holding a beautiful volume or the compulsive tug to have it for one's own, this book is a must read. From Alexandria to the present, it chronicles the human passion for books and collecting through stories that are lively enough for the novice and scholarly enough for the serious collector.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book on a divine madness
Review: Having my own small collection of 800 books, a few first editions, several autographed editions I can relate. I loved this book. It was given to me last year by my best friend, another book lover, and I have enjoyed it so much. I am not a great, gifted collector, but still a collector and I can tell you where each book was purchased, the date, and sometimes even my mood. Some of the books I will not let anyone borrow they are too precious to me. Yes, I too suffer from this divine madness as my two children also. It is a great hobby, madness whatever..."So many books so little time."
Rating:
Summary: This book convinced me that am I am not alone in my madness
Review: It always seemed to me that my passion for books and the lenghts to which I would often go to satisfy it was not very distant from a mild form of madness. This wonderful book has showed me that, madness though it may be, it has been shared by many illustrious persons and is no reason for shame. My only quibble is a certain degree of envy thar rises up after reading about rich individuals who were able to indulge their preference much more munificently than I!
Rating:
Summary: Why do people read?
Review: It seems like such a waste of time. Any really good books will eventually be made into movies, or television specials, and you can save sooooooo much time by watching those instead. At least this book seems to agree that people who read books are stoopid or crazy, so that's pretty cool. You can just skim it and read about all the nuts who actually read books. Personally, I can't wait until this book is made into a movie, maybe starring J-Lo and Adam Sandler as two of the crazy egg-head book collectors.
|
