Abookworm orbibliophile is an individual who loves and frequently reads or collectsbooks.Bibliophilia orbibliophilism is the love of books.
Bibliophiles may have large, specialized book collections. They may highly value old editions,autographed copies, or illustrated versions. Bibliophilia is distinct frombibliomania, a compulsive obsession to collect books which can affect interpersonal relationships or health. The term "bibliophile" has been in use since 1820 and has been associated with historical figures likeLord Spencer andJ.P. Morgan, who were known for their extensive book collections.
The classic bibliophile loves to read, admires and collects books,[A] and often amasses a large and specialized collection. Bibliophiles usually possess books they love or that hold special value, as well as old editions with unusual bindings,autographed, or illustrated copies.[3] "Bibliophile" is an appropriate term for a minority of those who arebook collectors.[4]
According to Arthur H. Minters, the "private collecting of books was a fashion indulged in by manyRomans, includingCicero andAtticus".[5] The termbibliophile entered theEnglish language in 1820.[6] A bibliophile is to be distinguished from the much older notion of a bookman (which dates back to 1583), who is one who loves books, and especiallyreading; more generally, a bookman is one who participates in writing, publishing, or selling books.[7]
Lord Spencer and theMarquess of Blandford were noted bibliophiles. "TheRoxburghe sale quickly became a foundational myth for the burgeoning secondhand book trade, and remains so to this day"; this sale is memorable due to the competition between "Lord Spencer and the marquis of Blandford [which] drove [the price of a probable first edition of Boccaccio'sDecameron up to the astonishing and unprecedented sum of £2,260".[8]J. P. Morgan was also a noted bibliophile. In 1884, he paid $24,750 ($772,130.92, adjusted for inflation for 2021)[9] for a 1459 edition of theMainz Psalter.[10]
^Of course, a bookworm is an insect that eats books. The term "bookworm" is often used as ametaphor to describe a voracious reader, an indiscriminate reader, or abibliophile. In its earliest iterations, it had a negativeconnotation—that is, it denoted anidler who read rather than worked. Over the years its meaning has drifted in a more positive direction.[1] Another meaning of the word is "a person who pays more attention to formal rules and book learning than they merit."[2]
^Connell, Philip (2000). "Book Collecting: Cultural Politics, and the Rise of Literary Heritage in Romantic Britain".Representations.71:24–47.doi:10.1525/rep.2000.71.1.01p00764.
Booknotes interview with Nicholas Basbanes onA Gentle Madness, October 15, 1995,C-SPAN
Media related toBookworm at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition ofbibliophilia at Wiktionary
