“Bibliophile Basbanes has written an exceptionally entertaining and comprehensive history of bibliomania, which turns out to be not so "gentle" an obsession after all. A tireless researcher, Basbanes relates the remarkable stories behind some of the world's most famous collections, from the legendary Alexandrian library to the libraries of Thomas Jefferson, the Folgers, and the Schomburg Collection. Basbanes also profiles an intriguing group of amateur collectors, including Carter Burden, a pioneer in the collecting of modern American writers, and Aaron Lansky, who almost single-handedly rescued Yiddish literature from landfills. The most enigmatic collector Basbanes portrays is Stephen Blumberg, whose notorious "Blumberg Collection" consisted of 23,600 rare books, all of them stolen from libraries. A surprising number of these stories involve nefarious dealings and vicious rivalries, proving that even in our digitized age, books arouse intense emotions, from worship to greed. Donna Seaman” —Booklist
“Anecdotes and insights on book collecting and appreciation make for a fine collection of stories on collecting. Authors, book authorities, builders of special collections, and biographical sketches of bibliophiles contribute to an excellent discourse on book passions and literary loves.” —Midwest Book Review
“A Gentle Madness is chock-a-block with such strange and appealing characters, each more wonderful than the last. On nearly every page Basbanes neatly profiles similar dreams, dedication, and sometimes sheer biblio-lust. Nicholas A. Basbanes has compiled a wonderful gallery of eccentrics, isolatos, charmers and visionaries—an ingratiating and altogether enjoyable book.” —Michael Dirda, The Washington Post Book World
“A Gentle Madness is an impressive achievement in its compilation of vast information, as well as being instructive and interesting. It is compulsory for anyone seriously interested in books or curious about the manic nature of collecting.” —Philip Kopper, The New York Times Book Review
“A massive, comprehensive, and wonderfully readable history of book collecting and collectors.” —David Walton, The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Obsessive book collecting remains the only hobby to have a disease named after it. This book is an adventure among the afflicted, beginning 2,500 years ago in Alexandria, when a commitment was made to gather all the world's knowledge beneath one roof, and moving on to profiles of living collectors and exclusive examinations of many great contemporary stories. Illustrations.” —Ingram
“What a delightful book about books and people who love books! As a second generation bibliophile, a possible bibliomane who had several people move out of my house a year ago because they erroneously believed that my books were taking over the household, and a devout employee of "Earth's Biggest Bookstore," I can vouch that Basbanes accurately describes the glorious role of book collectors as archivists of human knowledge, and—in continual counterpoint—sometimes pathologically obsessed book junkies.” —Amazon.com