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There's something truly comforting about delving into books that are all about books. And it's even more special when those books prominently feature other passionate book lovers. "Among the Gently Mad" is precisely such a book, filled with numerous stories of individuals who are deeply passionate about books. Of course, they have to be, as most of them belong to a breed of book lover termed here as a book hunter.
This book is about these book hunters, collectors, or bibliophiles. Basbanes takes the reader on a journey to auction houses, libraries, and through the homes of others,展示 us rare books and the extensive collections of various book hunters. We learn about the wide variety of books, ephemera, and collectibles that hunters seek out, and are given advice on how to best choose our own niche of collecting. Basbanes teaches the basics of what it takes to be one of the "gently mad," but refrains from going into too many specifics. I deduced from the book that book collecting is a highly individualized pursuit, and everyone approaches it in their own unique way. Basbanes does offer the reader some advice on budgeting, suggests some books to read for further learning, and provides some starting points, but nothing overly helpful for the truly serious collector.
However, I didn't read this book with the intention of learning how to be a collector. If you are reading it in the hope of getting solid advice on collecting, you'll have to look elsewhere. This, nevertheless, is a great book to read if you have an interest in books and book lovers. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about others who see the beauty in old books and lost things. Still, it might just give you the bug for collecting or selling, so be forewarned.
There were a couple of aspects of this book that you might want to be aware of. Basbanes has a tendency to mention his other books several times in each chapter. Since this is my first book of his, I found the references a bit tiresome after a while. If you're a fan, this probably won't bother you, but if, like me, you've never read another of his books, you might want to start with one of his earlier works first and then come back to "Among the Gently Mad." Also, I found his references to selling books on the internet rather quaint. This book was written in 2002, so you can probably imagine that he was a bit more in awe of selling on the internet than someone would be nowadays. The technology and websites he mentioned weren't completely archaic, but it's still a little funny to read about them all the same.
In conclusion, "Among the Gently Mad" is a pleasant read for book lovers, and I would highly recommend it.
This book is about these book hunters, collectors, or bibliophiles. Basbanes takes the reader on a journey to auction houses, libraries, and through the homes of others,展示 us rare books and the extensive collections of various book hunters. We learn about the wide variety of books, ephemera, and collectibles that hunters seek out, and are given advice on how to best choose our own niche of collecting. Basbanes teaches the basics of what it takes to be one of the "gently mad," but refrains from going into too many specifics. I deduced from the book that book collecting is a highly individualized pursuit, and everyone approaches it in their own unique way. Basbanes does offer the reader some advice on budgeting, suggests some books to read for further learning, and provides some starting points, but nothing overly helpful for the truly serious collector.
However, I didn't read this book with the intention of learning how to be a collector. If you are reading it in the hope of getting solid advice on collecting, you'll have to look elsewhere. This, nevertheless, is a great book to read if you have an interest in books and book lovers. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about others who see the beauty in old books and lost things. Still, it might just give you the bug for collecting or selling, so be forewarned.
There were a couple of aspects of this book that you might want to be aware of. Basbanes has a tendency to mention his other books several times in each chapter. Since this is my first book of his, I found the references a bit tiresome after a while. If you're a fan, this probably won't bother you, but if, like me, you've never read another of his books, you might want to start with one of his earlier works first and then come back to "Among the Gently Mad." Also, I found his references to selling books on the internet rather quaint. This book was written in 2002, so you can probably imagine that he was a bit more in awe of selling on the internet than someone would be nowadays. The technology and websites he mentioned weren't completely archaic, but it's still a little funny to read about them all the same.
In conclusion, "Among the Gently Mad" is a pleasant read for book lovers, and I would highly recommend it.
