The Enemies of Books
Encyclopedia
The Enemies of Books is a book on biblioclast
s and book preservation by the 19th-century bibliophile and book collector William Blades
. The book was first published in 1880 and has been republished in different editions in 1881, 1888, 1896, and 1902 and reproduced widely in electronic format in the 21st century. In the book, Blades, a well-known collector and preserver of the works of the English
printer William Caxton
, documented his outrage at any mistreatment of books in what became a passionate diatribe
against biblioclasts, human and non-human, wherever he found them.
The book includes chapters on the following enemies of books: fire
, water
, gas and heat, dust and neglect, ignorance and bigotry, the bookworm
, bookbinders, book collectors, servants, and children. The book ends with a passionate call for reverence for old books, something he felt was lacking during his life.
Book burning
Book burning, biblioclasm or libricide is the practice of destroying, often ceremoniously, books or other written material and media. In modern times, other forms of media, such as phonograph records, video tapes, and CDs have also been ceremoniously burned, torched, or shredded...
s and book preservation by the 19th-century bibliophile and book collector William Blades
William Blades
William Blades , English printer and bibliographer, was born at Clapham, London.- Career :In 1840 he was apprenticed to his father's printing business in London, being subsequently taken into partnership. The firm was afterwards known as Blades, East & Blades...
. The book was first published in 1880 and has been republished in different editions in 1881, 1888, 1896, and 1902 and reproduced widely in electronic format in the 21st century. In the book, Blades, a well-known collector and preserver of the works of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
printer William Caxton
William Caxton
William Caxton was an English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer. As far as is known, he was the first English person to work as a printer and the first to introduce a printing press into England...
, documented his outrage at any mistreatment of books in what became a passionate diatribe
Diatribe
Diatribe is the name of a weekly column by Greek-Australian journalist, poet and lawyer Dean Kalimniou appearing in the Melbourne Greek language newspaper Neos Kosmos since 2001...
against biblioclasts, human and non-human, wherever he found them.
The book includes chapters on the following enemies of books: fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
, water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, gas and heat, dust and neglect, ignorance and bigotry, the bookworm
Bookworm (insect)
Bookworm is a popular generalization for any insect which supposedly bores through books.Actual book-borers are uncommon. Both the larvae of the death watch beetle and the common furniture beetle will tunnel through wood and paper if it is nearby the wood.A major book-feeding insect is the book...
, bookbinders, book collectors, servants, and children. The book ends with a passionate call for reverence for old books, something he felt was lacking during his life.