Bibliomania
Encyclopedia
Bibliomania can be a symptom of obsessive–compulsive disorder which involves the collecting
or even hoarding
of book
s to the point where social relations or health are damaged.
The term was coined by Dr. John Ferriar
, a physician at the Manchester Royal Infirmary.
, which is the usual love of books and is not considered a clinical psychological disorder.
Other abnormal behaviours involving books include book-eating (bibliophagy), compulsive book-stealing (bibliokleptomania
), and book-burying (bibliotaphy).
Book collecting
Book collecting is the collecting of books, including seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever books are of interest to a given individual collector. The love of books is bibliophilia, and someone who loves to read, admire, and collect...
or even hoarding
Compulsive hoarding
Compulsive hoarding is the acquisition of possessions in excess of socially normative amounts, even if the items are worthless, hazardous, or unsanitary...
of book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s to the point where social relations or health are damaged.
Description
One of several unusual behaviors associated with books, bibliomania is characterized by the collecting of books which have no use to the collector nor any great intrinsic value to a genuine book collector. The purchase of multiple copies of the same book and edition and the accumulation of books beyond possible capacity of use or enjoyment are frequent symptoms of bibliomania. Bibliomania is not a psychological disorder recognized by the DSM-IV.The term was coined by Dr. John Ferriar
John Ferriar
John Ferriar , was a Scottish physician and a poet, most noted for his leadership of the Manchester Infirmary, and his studies of the causes of diseases such as typhoid. M.D...
, a physician at the Manchester Royal Infirmary.
Other book-related conditions
Bibliomania is not to be confused with bibliophiliaBibliophilia
Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. Accordingly a bibliophile is an individual who loves books. A bookworm is someone who loves books for their content, or who otherwise loves reading. The -ia-suffixed form "bibliophilia" is sometimes considered to be an incorrect usage; the older...
, which is the usual love of books and is not considered a clinical psychological disorder.
Other abnormal behaviours involving books include book-eating (bibliophagy), compulsive book-stealing (bibliokleptomania
Kleptomania
Kleptomania is an irresistible urge to steal items of trivial value. People with this disorder are compelled to steal things, generally, but not limited to, objects of little or no significant value, such as pens, paper clips, paper and tape...
), and book-burying (bibliotaphy).
People with bibliomania
- Stephen BlumbergStephen BlumbergStephen Carrie Blumberg is best known as a bibliomane who lived in Ottumwa, Iowa. He became known as the Book Bandit and was the most successful book thief of the 20th century in the United States.-Personal:At 2:00 a.m...
, who was convicted of stealing $5.3 million worth of books - Thomas PhillippsThomas PhillippsSir Thomas Phillipps, 1st Baronet was an English antiquary and book collector who amassed the largest collection of manuscript material in the 19th century, due to his severe condition of bibliomania...
(1792–1872) suffered from severe bibliomania. His collection, which at his death contained over 160,000 books and manuscripts, was still being auctioned off over 100 years after his death. - Rev. W.F. Whitcher was a 19th century MethodistMethodismMethodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
pastor who, after having stolen and rebound rare books, would assert they were rare "finds" from local booksellers.
Fictional characters
- Don Quixote is perhaps the most famous fictional bibliomaniac. His love of books drives him insane, and serves as the impetus for his subsequent adventures.
- Jerry Fletcher, Mel GibsonMel GibsonMel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
's character in the movie Conspiracy TheoryConspiracy Theory (film)Conspiracy Theory is a 1997 American action thriller film directed by Richard Donner.The original screenplay by Brian Helgeland centers on an eccentric taxi driver who believes many world events are triggered by government conspiracies, and the U.S...
, suffers from triggered bibliomania, a form of mind controlMind controlMind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
that does not exist in the real world, which prompts him to buy a copy of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the RyeThe Catcher in the RyeThe Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger. Originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage confusion, angst, alienation, language, and rebellion. It has been translated into almost all of the world's major...
every time he goes outside his apartment. (cf. MK-ULTRAProject MKULTRAProject MKULTRA, or MK-ULTRA, was the code name for a covert, illegal CIA human experimentation program, run by the CIA's Office of Scientific Intelligence. This official U.S. government program began in the early 1950s, continued at least through the late 1960s, and used U.S...
papers, National Security Archives) - Sheska from the anime Fullmetal AlchemistFullmetal Alchemist, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is styled after the European Industrial Revolution...
is often seen to be consumed by books. As seen in one episode she at one point even became trapped by a pile of books which had fallen on her. - Bibliomania is a common trait of papermasters from the manga and anime series Read or DieRead or Die (OVA)The OVA based on the Read or Die manga series created by Hideyuki Kurata was created by Studio Deen in early 2001 and distributed outside Japan by Manga Entertainment in 2003. The series, directed by Koji Masunari, features the main characters of the original manga such as Yomiko Readman and Joker...
such as Yomiko ReadmanYomiko Readman, also known as "The Paper," is the protagonist in the Japanese novel series Read or Die and its manga and original video animation spin-offs. She is also a major player in the sequel, R.O.D the TV...
. - Lord Groan from GormenghastGormenghast (series)The Gormenghast series comprises three novels by Mervyn Peake, featuring Castle Gormenghast, and Titus Groan, the title character of the first book.-Works in the series:...
has a gargantuan library. When it is burned to the ground, he becomes slightly demented and eventually kills himself. - Calvin TowerCalvin TowerCalvin Tower is a fictional character in the Dark Tower books by Stephen King. Calvin Tower appears in The Waste Lands, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, and The Dark Tower.-Plot:...
of Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
's Dark Tower seriesThe Dark Tower (series)The Dark Tower is a series of books written by American author Stephen King, which incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy, science fantasy, horror and western. It describes a "Gunslinger" and his quest toward a tower, the nature of which is both physical and metaphorical. King...
is depicted as a bibliomaniac. - Peter Kien in Elias CanettiElias CanettiElias Canetti was a Bulgarian-born modernist novelist, playwright, memoirist, and non-fiction writer. He wrote in German and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1981, "for writings marked by a broad outlook, a wealth of ideas and artistic power".-Life:...
's novel Auto-da-FéAuto-da-FéAuto da Fé is a 1935 novel by Elias Canetti; the title of the English translation refers to the burning of heretics by the Inquisition.-Publication History:...
(published in 1935 in German as Die Blendung) is a Chinese scholar obsessed with his book collection. - April Hoffman, Isla FisherIsla FisherIsla Lang Fisher is an actress and author. She began acting on Australian television, on the short-lived soap opera Paradise Beach before playing Shannon Reed on the soap opera Home and Away...
's character in the movie Definitely, Maybe, has a big collection of Charlotte BrontëCharlotte BrontëCharlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood, whose novels are English literature standards...
's most famous novel Jane EyreJane EyreJane Eyre is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published in London, England, in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. with the title Jane Eyre. An Autobiography under the pen name "Currer Bell." The first American edition was released the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York...
.
External links
- "Lost The Girl; Got The Book" - Illustration of bibliomania ruining a relationship