{"product_id":"a-gentle-madness-bibliophiles-bibliomanes-and-the-eternal-passion-for-books-9780805048261","title":"A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles  Bibliomanes  and the Eternal Passion for Books","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom an Amazon reader review: \"Spanning the long period from ancient times  when books were hand-copied  to the modern day  \"A Gentle Madness\" takes us on a strange and exciting journey through the world of rare book collectors. Our society owes a lot to book collectors. Determination  time  and money have enabled them to seek out and preserve rare books  manuscripts  documents  and letters of profound cultural and historical importance. Many of the most noted collectors have ultimately given their world-class libraries to colleges and universities  where the fruits of their labor have benefited generations of scholars and researchers. This book demonstrates  in a colorful manner  how book collectors are driven to seek out new acquisitions for their libraries. For some  it is a consuming passion. For a few  it is a dangerous obsession that forces them to sacrifice the basic amenities of life  or even break the law. Nicholas Basbanes not only introduces readers to book collectors throughout history  but also to the books themselves  and to the methods employed to obtain rare books.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45280033407029,"sku":"ByrdShop_080504826X","price":58.33,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780805048261.jpg?v=1780617854","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/a-gentle-madness-bibliophiles-bibliomanes-and-the-eternal-passion-for-books-9780805048261","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}