Among the Gently Mad: Perspectives and Strategies for the Book-Hunter in the 21st Century [Hardcover]

Nicholas Basbanes, who lives in North Grafton, Mass., is the author of two previous works: A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes and the Eternal Passion for Books (1999), a finalist for the National Book Critics Award, and Patience & Fortitude: A Roving Chronicle of Book People, Book Places, and Book Cultures (2001).
Basbanes now adds a "Madness Redux" to his exploration of the world of books and to that species of human beings dubbed "the gently mad," the bibliophiles and bibliomaniacs who would sell their shirts to buy nicely bound volumes.
Among the Gently Mad is not for everyone. It is not for those who wonder why a person spends two weeks reading a book rather than watching a two-hour movie.
If, however, you delight in frequenting yard sales, flea markets, book fairs, library sales, book stores, trade shows, antique shops, and thrift stores in search of printed treasures, then you will love Basbane's work.
To be sure, serious book collecting can be frightfully expensive and often out of one's financial league, as, for example, the $6.16 million dollars that was paid for the 1623 edition of William Shakespeare's dramatic works, commonly known as the First Folio, one that bore the prior ownership signature of the poet John Dryden.
Somewhat less expensive was a first-issue copy of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone that recently sold for $15,000.
However, one does not need to own a Gutenberg Bible (1454-55), the first work printed in Europe from movable type, or the Bay Psalm Book (1639), to be an avid book collector.
Bibliophiles sometimes meet a tragic end, as related by an anecdote from chap. 9: "Homer and Langley Collyer of New York City, two reclusive brothers, quite literally died under the collapsing weight of their various hoards in 1947, with one of them remaining buried for two and a half week before firefighters could locate his body beneath what was estimated to be 150 tons [300,000 pounds!] of newspapers, magazines, books, and assorted doodads."
In a letter to John Adams (June 10, 1815), Thomas Jefferson wrote: "I cannot live without books." Basbanes subscribes to this sentiment; his work testifies to an in-depth knowledge of and experience in the world of books. He speaks with authority as one who intimately and expertly navigates his chosen field.
While Basbanes believes there is no substitute for a tactile, "hands-on" (one might even say erotic) examination of books, he shows how the Internet can be used to aid and abet one's obsession. ...
Among the Gently Mad is a virtual "Who's Who" of booksellers and book collectors. Throughtout the work, the author scatters helpful hints of do's and don'ts. Numerous vignettes illustrate the truth of the principles inculcated. Whether one is a nascent bibliophile or an incorrigible bibliomanic, this guide will prove to be a invaluable resource.
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Nicholas Basbanes has been a source of enjoyment for bibliophiles since publication of what is arguably the most enjoyable treatise on the book collecting culture, _A Gentle Madness_. In that book the heady heights of high-end collecting and the depraved depths of obsessive biblio-theft are expertly profiled. Equally delightful, his recent _Patience and Fortitude_ has a place of honor on my 'books-on-books' shelf.

While I have enjoyed many hours reading these books, which allowed me to circulate vicariously in book circles currently beyond my reach, I always wondered when Mr. Basbanes would write a book focusing on the everyman collector.

With the publication of _Among the Gently Mad_ my question has been answered, and the validity of the adage. "...be careful what you wish for..." has been affirmed for me. In a departure from his previous two works, the author not only provides delightful anecdotes on book culture, he has also constructed the most practical and up to date guide on the nuts and bolts of collecting available today. In the process he has laid bare nearly every trick and technique of collecting that I have picked up over the past several years.

The internet has, in many ways, revolutionized book collecting. Mr. Basbanes describes in what ways, and provides helpful pointers on how to maximize the 'net's usefulness, including mentioning specific web sites of interest. This material is useful not only for the new collector, but the established collector as well. Additionally, traditional book collecting via catalogue, auction and scouting are not neglected - and testimonials of collecting technique from collectors and dealers abound.

In short, if I were to begin book collecting today this is the first book I would buy, hands down. As a collector, it is one I have found very useful - and it goes without saying - entertaining. The only down side of the publication of this book is that those informed by its pages will create stiffer competition for the good books out there!

I doubt that many of Nicholas Basbanes' readers will have the resources to emulate some of the collectors he describes in Among the Gently Mad (and in his earlier works A Gentle Madness and Patience and Fortitude.) I know I certainly won't be buying a Shakespeare First Folio, but nevertheless I value Among the Gently Mad for the perspective it gives me on my fellow bibliophiles. I enjoy reading about the book fairs and the lengths to which some collectors go to add to their libraries. Most of all I enjoy the tips Basbanes and his subjects give me about adding to my own collection. An absolutely essential addition to any gentle mad person's library.