And this is the fascinating part of the story. At the very beginning, we meet a chef and restaurateur, Louis Szathmary, whose collection of cookbooks and artifacts filled sixteen semi-trailers and went to half a dozen institutions. Collectors pay attention to price but will spare no expense for something they want. I love finding books at the lowest price. The collectors usually have some focus in their collecting, from first editions of great books, to everything coming from the hand of a particular author or set of authors.
The most interesting difference between bibliophiles and bibliomanes, is that the former love reading books, while the latter collect them. The title comes from a description of Isaiah Thomas as being stricken with “the gentlest of infirmities, bibliomania.” This is the “gentle madness” Nicholas Basbanes writes about in this thick, delightful book you just don’t want to end because of the interesting stories of bibliomanes. I am a bibliophile, but not a bibliomane. I do have a number of books in my home (and have donated or sold large numbers). More precisely, I love reading books and talking about them. Summary: An entertaining journey through the history and contemporary world of book collecting, and the “bibliomanes” whose passion for books formed amazing collections.
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