A literary history of collecting and preserving books
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Praised by The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review describes the book as compulsory reading for people seriously interested in books...
A literary history of collecting and preserving books
Nicholas A. Basbanes extends his exploration of book collecting into the institutions and individuals devoted to safeguarding written heritage. Framed as a journey across major libraries, the book moves from historical sites associated with Alexandria and Glastonbury to contemporary collections including the Vatican. Its broad subject is the often quixotic work of preserving books: the collectors, dealers, and librarians whose commitments shape what survives and remains accessible. With its emphasis on libraries and private collecting alike, the volume places the culture of books within a long continuum of custody, loss, and preservation.
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"Compulsory for anyone seriously interested in books or curious about the manic nature of collecting." --New York Times Book Review
In his national bestseller, A Gentle Madness, Nicholas Basbanes explored the sweet obsession people feel to possess books. Now, Basbanes continues his adventures among the "gently mad" on an irresistible journey to the great libraries of the past--from Alexandria to Glastonbury--and to contemporary collections at the Vatican, Wolfenb
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