A. Books By Nicholas A. Basbanes

Nicholas Basbanes was born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1943, graduated from Bates College in 1965, and received a master of arts degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1969. He wrote a syndicated column on books and authors for eight years. He has written some very good books on books. It is largely because of his lucid style of writing that the topic ‘books about books’ has come to be recognized as a sub-genre in the field of literature and letters. The two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and biographer David McCullough proclaims him "the leading authority of books about books." Here are some of his books on this topic:
1. A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books. By Nicholas A. Basbanes

“For all those who love books, but especially for those who love to own books, A Gentle Madness is a giant treasure hest, stuffed full of delightful anecdotes and delicious information, narrated with style, affection and sometimes breathtaking drama” (Thomas Cahill)

2. Patience and Fortitude : A Roving Chronicle of Book People, Book Places, and Book Culture by Nicholas Basbanes.

The title of Basbanes’ book A Gentle Madness has become a resonant phrase to describe the obsessive passion book lovers have to possess books, a condition more commonly known as bibliomania. In Patience & Fortitude, Basbanes continues his discursive adventures among the gently mad, expanding his focus to probe the more comprehensive concept of book culture. This book explores the changing form of the book over the centuries and describes the nature of the institutions that have evolved to contain them, including academic, public, private, and national repositories. Basbanes profiles the experiences and thoughts of all kinds of dedicated "book people," be they librarians, readers, writers, bookmakers, booksellers, preservationists, or collectors

3. A Splendor of Letters: The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World. By Nicholas A. Basbanes

In A Splendor of Letters, Nicholas A. Basbanes continues his journey in the book-world that he began in 1995 with A Gentle Madness, and expanded in 2001 with Patience & Fortitude, a companion work. In this beautifully packaged edition, Basbanes brings to a close his wonderful trilogy on the remarkable world of books and bibliophiles.

4. Among the Gently Mad: Perspectives and Strategies for the Book-Hunter in the 21st Century. By Nicholas A. Basbanes

This books is a field guide for the modern book collector. Topics include how to determine if a book is a first edition, how to spot book club editions, the importance of dust jackets, scouting the flea markets, how to work the book fairs, and the importance of handling the goods, as well as discussing less tangible issues like spotting trends and having a focus. Then he takes a long look at the pros and cons of Internet buying, illuminating how you can use these electronic tools to your advantage and making this the book no modern collector will want to be without.

5. Editions and Impressions: Twenty Years on the Book Beat by Nicholas A. Basbanes

Thia book brings together the best of Mr. Basbanes’ book journalism. This book brings together many profiles of fascinating rare-book aficionados, from the extremely wealthy who can buy almost anything they want to collectors who have built marvelous and important collections on limited budgets. Most of the pieces in Editions & Impressions are significantly revised and expanded from their original appearances in print. These essays, collected from two decades worth of magazine and newspaper appearances, establish Mr. Basbanes as one of the leading book journalists of our time.