A Passion for Books

(Fair warning - my writerly skills get put to the test when trying to properly discuss book themed books).

Books about books are great fun for a book lover... or, at least, I tend to really like them. Book books are an area of literature and book collecting that I am slowly begin to acquire a greater appreciation of - don't worry, as I learn, I will share what knowledge I have gained. Book themes seem to be present in literature (fiction, nonfiction, and poetry) for as long as the book itself has been around. This, as one might expect, is most likely due to the fact that a lot of writers loves books. These type of books, at their best, can provide insight into, and knowledge of, a variety of aspects of collecting and the history of books themselves. Plus, as an added attraction, many are downright entertaining.

A wonderful example of such a book has been hanging out in my stack of current reading material for a little while now… A Passion for Book: A Book Lover's Treasury of Stories, Essays, Humor, Love and Lists on Collecting, Reading, Borrowing, Lending, Caring for, and Appreciating Books, edited by Harold Rabinowitz and Rob Kaplan, with a forward by Ray Bradbury, and published by Random House through Times Books. This book contains a nice selection of writings on books, both newer and older, which are sure to inspire your love of books. It is set up in perfect way to be read a little at a time, being enjoyed as the mood strikes. Reading about others with the same passion as one that you have (although taken to different extremes with different goals, methods, and means) can reaffirm and strengthen that passion within yourself, and that is exactly what this book is able to accomplish.

It seems this book has been published over a couple of editions, the one I have is a trade paperback from 1999, and is a nice looking book. Other editions that I see include the similar looking, although hardcover, first edition, and further trade paperback printings with changed cover art (still featuring pictures of books). Was this book good enough for me to search out a first for the shelves? Yes. However, the list of books I want to add first edition copies of is quite long, so it may be a little while - I will just have to savor my enjoyment of simply reading it in the meantime.

Plenty more discussion on books about books to come… I have various such books, both read and unread, which I am looking forward to talking about - and I am always on the lookout for more.