Patience & Fortitude: Wherein a Colorful Cast of Determined Book Collectors, Dealers, and Librarians Go About the Quixotic Task of Preserving a Legacy

by Nicholas A Basbanes

Overview

“Compulsory for anyone seriously interested in books or curious about the manic nature of collecting.” —New York Times Book Review

In his national bestseller, A Gentle Madness, Nicholas Basbanes explored the sweet obsession people feel to possess books. Now, Basbanes continues his adventures among the "gently mad" on an irresistible journey to the great libraries of the past—from Alexandria to Glastonbury—and to contemporary collections at the Vatican, Wolfenbüttel, and erudite universities. Along the way, he drops in on eccentric book dealers and regales us with stories about unforgettable collectors, such as the gentleman who bought a rare book in 1939 "by selling bottles of his own blood."

Taking the book's grand title from the marble lions guarding the New York Public Library at 42nd Street, Basbanes both entertains and delights. And once again, as Scott Turow aptly noted, "Basbanes makes you love books, the collections he writes about, and the volume in your hand."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060514464
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/25/2003
Series:	Harper Perennial
Edition description:	First Perenial Edition
Pages:	688
Sales rank:	1,020,810
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Nicholas A. Basbanes has worked as an award-winning investigative reporter, a literary editor, and a nationally syndicated columnist. The author of five books, he also writes a regular column for Fine Books & Collections magazine and lectures widely on book-related issues. He and his wife, Constance, live in Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

	List of Illustrations	xv
	Prologue	1
Part 1	Overture
1.	Eternal Life	13
2.	Godspeed	71
Part 2	Book People
3.	Madness Redux	141
4.	Splendid Anachronisms	180
5.	Profiles in Bibliophagia	219
6.	Hunters and Gatherers	262
7.	Many Years	326
Part 3	Book Places
8.	The People's Palace	351
9.	Once and Future Library	386
10.	In the Stacks	425
11.	Deep Sleep	475
12.	As in a Vial	506
	Epilogue	549
	Notes	557
	Bibliography	590
	Author's Interviews	603
	Index	605