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Title: A Splendor of Letters : The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World by Nicholas A. Basbanes ISBN: 0-06-008287-9 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 25 November, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 (5 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: An amazing study of issues critical to bibliophiles
Comment: A Splendor Of Letters: The Permanence Of Books In An Impermanent World by Nicholas A. Basbanes is an absorbing contemplation of issues concerning books in contemporary society, ranging from the destruction of books and libraries in Sarajevo, Tibet, and Cambodia; to the matter of "discards" at various libraries; the many types of materials used to record information from ancient times down to the modern day; debates about preservation whether in regard to storing books on paper or keeping them in electronic format; and so much more. An amazing study of issues critical to bibliophiles worldwide today, A Splendor Of Letters is a seminal and impressive work which is most especially recommended to the attention of dedicated bibliophiles, cultural historians, and Library Science reference collections.
Rating: 5
Summary: The Last of a Splendid Trilogy
Comment: Nicholas Basbanes has enriched the lives of bibliophiles with his A Gentle Madness and Patience and Fortitude, the first two volumes in this trilogy devoted to books and the people who love them. He has now brought the trilogy to a close with A Splendor of Letters, which is just as fascinating as either of the first two volumes.
A Splendor of Letters is a wide ranging look at many aspects of the book world. History is served through an examination of several attempts to destroy the written word, from Nazi Germany to Pol Pot's Cambodia; and with happier stories of archaeologists' rediscoveries of ancient libraries. More stories of book collectors of the sort that made A Gentle Madness so interesting are also provided, as is more material on the problems libraries and collections have when they run out of space and must determine what to do with the overflow, which was a major topic in Patience and Fortitude. The main thrust of A Splendor of Letters, however, is a defense of the book in its traditional form against those who would proclaim its death at the hands of technology.
As with all of Mr. Basbanes' works (which also include Among the Gently Mad, A Primer for Book Collectors), the fascinating material is enhanced by the beauty of the writing. No book lover should pass this by.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Work Of Learning And Passion Celebrating The Written Word
Comment: Reading the works of Nicholas A. Basbanes is somewhat like attending a series of lectures by a master professor, one who loves his subject passionately and seems to know every aspect of it. In this volume, as in the preceding works of his trilogy, Mr. Basbanes takes you around the world and back in forth in time, yet the journey always has a constant purpose: to explore the many ways in which humankind has transmitted its thoughts in written form.
A central theme of this work is the many assaults on the written word through the ages, and their ultimate triumph of survival. From the destruction of Carthage to the Nazi book-burnings and the more recent destruction of libraries in Tibet, Cambodia, Sarajevo, the written word has again and again been one of the prime targets for those who wish to subjugate a people. Yet for all that has been lost through violence and neglect, much has been preserved.
Here Basbanes turns to threats to books of a different sort--libraries discarding little-used volumes because of space issues, or various electronic technologies that have been heralded as being the replacement for the codex, or bound book, as we have known it for centuries. Yet the book endures, and if enough people with the passion of Nicholas A. Basbanes are around, it should endure for countless years to come.
This book and its two predecessors represents an educational, entertaining and thought-provoking distillation of a career spent learning about and celebrating the written word. Although "A Splendor of Letters" marks the completion of his trilogy, I hope this will not be the last word Mr. Basbanes has to share on the subject. And I'm sure many other readers feel the same way.--William C. Hall
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Title: A Pound of Paper : Confessions of a Book Addict by John Baxter ISBN: 0312317255 Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books Pub. Date: 11 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Among the Gently Mad: Strategies and Perspectives for the Book-Hunter in the 21st Century by Nicholas A. Basbanes ISBN: 0805051597 Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Inc. Pub. Date: 06 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: Patience and Fortitude: Wherein a Colorful Cast of Determined Book Collectors, Dealers, and Librarians Go About the Quixotic Task of Preserving a Legacy by Nicholas A. Basbanes ISBN: 0060514469 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 25 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Book Row : An Anecdotal and Pictorial History of the Antiquarian Book Trade by Marvin Mondlin, Roy Meador ISBN: 0786713054 Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub. Date: 10 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
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Title: The Bookman's Promise : A Cliff Janeway Novel by John Dunning ISBN: 0743249925 Publisher: Scribner Pub. Date: 09 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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