Among the Gently Mad: Strategies and Perspectives For the Book Hunter in the Twenty-First Century (Nicholas A. Basbanes)

Once again, I've read a book about books; Over the past two months I've come to enjoy the genre. Among the Gently Mad is a light, but entertaining and informative read by book collector and author of two other titles on book collecting, Nicholas A. Basbanes. I started reading yesterday afternoon and read during every free moment I had--in the staff room at work, while eating breakfast and so on--although I had very few free moments. (Now that I think about it, there are a couple of major poli-sci papers calling my name as I sit here writing this post :/    . . . )

Among the Gently Mad is not a technical text, nor is it a guide to book buying. Instead, Basbanes provides a very basic "philosophy" of book collecting along with some of his personal experiences and stories from other collectors he's encountered. I will definitely be picking up Basbanes' other works when I have the chance. This book was worth every spare moment I spent with it. 

Bound In Venice: The Serene Republic And the Dawn of the Book (Alessandro Marzo Magno)

A translation from the Italian, Bound in Venice is a history of book printing and publishing in the city of Venice from the early days of the movable type printing press to the close of the city's publishing hey-day when censorship increased and choked out the industry.

I think I've gained an appreciation for independent bookstores. As a long-time Chapters and used-bookstore shopper, I only entered my first new, independent bookstore a little less than two weeks ago when one of my professors sent me there to purchase a piece of required reading. It was a small, cozy little shop, lacking any antique atmosphere, but full of freshness and newness. I was able to survey the shop's contents in a few short minutes. I found the book for my class and then browsed a nearby shelf which contained a few books about books, as well as writing. I came away with Bound in Venice and Stephen King's On Writing. It was the kind of shop that leaves me with a warm feeling and brings me back.

On to the contents of Bound in Venice. Alessandro Marzo Magno fits a lot into one small book; her work amounts to a sweeping history with bits and pieces seemingly presented as they come to her, rather than a specific continuous story. Aside from the slightly awkward use of present tense, rather than past tense, throughout the book, it is a smooth, easy and enjoyable read.

It was certainly interesting. I found myself relaying to a friend how the first printed Koran was published in Venice, and how italics and the bestseller emerged with the city as their birthplace. Magno writes about cookbooks, and Arabic books, medical and beauty books, Greek books and music books, pornographic books, and the invention of periodicals.

She contributes Venice's publishing success partly to the lenient censorship environment, which allowed books to be published which could not be easily published elsewhere. Venice's trade culture and status as a welcoming city for immigrants played a role in the wide variety of texts printed. According to Magno, the Venice printing industry only began to decline when the Roman Inquisition extended its reach and book burning began in the city. By 1562, Venice had established a rule that every manuscript, before it was printed, had to be examined by one religious and two laymen. This delayed the printing process and increased costs. The type of books printed shifted to mostly religious texts. In the proceeding centuries, the Venice printing industry dwindled and lost its prestige.

Bound in Venice is well worth the read for any bibliophile, lover of books, or reader interested in unusual facts and history.

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much (Alison Hoover Barlett)

After visiting an antiquarian book fair in 2005, author and journalist Allison Hoover Bartlett was drawn into the world of rare books and book thefts. The result was this book, The Man Who Loved Books Too Much, a piece of investigative journalism relaying the criminal career of book thief John Gorky, who stole, not for profit, but for pleasure. Gorky, a bibliomaniac, used stolen credit card numbers and bad checks to scam rare booksellers out of thousands of dollars of books, many of them first editions. Bartlett tells the story of Gorky's exploits, from how he got started collecting books to his arrests, as well as the efforts of Ken Sanders, a rare book dealer, to organize efforts to catch Gorky. 

Bartlett's book is an entertaining, light read. It leaves me with the desire to browse book shops, run my fingers over spines and pages, and to expand my already large book collection. Sadly, the kind of rare books mentioned by Bartlett are--most likely--permanently out my price range. Luckily for me, I don't care about first editions. There are plenty of cheaper, finely bound books to buy. 

Time Was Soft There (Jeremy Mercer)

Time Was Soft There is a memoir about Jeremy Mercer's time spent in Paris. Mercer, a former crime reporter fearing for his safety, left Canada and took a flight, landing in Paris on New Years Eve with a student visa. He soon found a home in the upper levels of a legendary bookstore, Shakespeare and Co.,owned and run by George, an aging socialist who had been providing free shelter to writers for decades. 

Mercer recounts the months he spent at the bookstore, living in close quarters with other writers, learning to live cheaply on very little money, experiencing romantic disappointment, and choosing a new direction for his own life. Time Was Soft There is an enjoyable documentation of Mercer's life, but also of the life within Shakespeare and Co. Although it is a memoir, it reads like fiction.