Bibliomania; or Book-Madness A Bibliographical Romance

About this book

Bibliomania is a bibliographical romance that treats the feverish love of books as a curable disease. The work opens with a series of meticulous notes on the original printing’s quirks, spelling, diacritics, and inconsistent names, followed by a formal dedication to the Earl of Powis and a lengthy advertisement explaining why a new edition is being issued after thirty‑five years. The author, the Rev. Thomas Frognall Dibdin, frames the text as an epistle to a fictional Richard Heber, promising a “pleasant and profitable perusal” of the history, symptoms, and cure of book‑madness, while also providing a catalogue of rare volumes, auction anecdotes, and a supplement of character keys. The opening therefore establishes a hybrid of scholarly catalogue and theatrical dialogue, inviting readers to explore a self‑conscious, almost satirical portrait of collectors and their trade.

The voice is unmistakably early‑nineteenth‑century, mixing earnest scholarly commentary with a playful, sometimes mock‑heroic tone. Dibdin’s prose is dense with classical allusions, footnotes, and occasional digressions, all rendered in the ornate style of the period. Readers who delight in the history of bibliography, the quirks of antiquarian book‑selling, and the witty dramatization of literary obsession will find this work rewarding, while those seeking a straightforward narrative should look elsewhere.