Associated with compulsive books collecting, bibliomania is considered a “gentle madness” border-lining addiction and obsession. While the term “bibliomaniac” was coined in the 18th century by a physician at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, the figure of the book collector goes back to the 16th century when it was hold to be more of a caricature than a character. However, the core of this “cultural disorder” is the desire to collect certain books, manuscripts or magazines in order to satisfy the indefinite compulsion. The article analyses bibliomania as an imprecise addiction to the book as object and to the passion for its esthetic possession, portraying in the same time some of the most exciting characters of the history of book collecting. As for the bibliomaniac, he stands probably for the symbol of unconditional and unrequited book love.

Associated with compulsive books collecting, bibliomania is considered a “gentle madness” border-lining addiction and obsession. While the term “bibliomaniac” was coined in the 18th century by a physician at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, the figure of the book collector goes back to the 16th century when it was hold to be more of a caricature than a character. However, the core of this “cultural disorder” is the desire to collect certain books, manuscripts or magazines in order to satisfy the indefinite compulsion. The article analyses bibliomania as an imprecise addiction to the book as object and to the passion for its esthetic possession, portraying in the same time some of the most exciting characters of the history of book collecting. As for the bibliomaniac, he stands probably for the symbol of unconditional and unrequited book love.