Buried in Books: A Reader's Anthology

For bibliophiles, life is full of tricky problems: wondering whether a small trunkful of reading material can be taken on board as hand luggage; how to smuggle yet another guilty stash of tomes past the nearest and dearest; bedside tables lost under a sliding mountain of books; and deciding between bathing and showering, because who can read in the shower? But, as this book shows, bibliophiles are by no means alone: manic readers are evident through the ages. For decades if not centuries, bookish types have been delving in collapsing and dusty boxes (just in case), flirting in the library, and bewailing the oncoming final chapter. "Buried in Books" is a compilation of more than 350 literary extracts, quotations, and bon mots concerning every aspect of bookish behavior: reading, buying, borrowing, recommending, hunting, even defacing. The selections range from short, pithy quotations to more extensive extracts, and they are taken from diaries, memoirs, novels, plays, and letters by authors from Samuel Pepys to Iain Sinclair, Laurence Sterne to Lucy Mangan. If you are an obsessive reader, stroke this book lovingly, listen as you riffle through the pages, and be proud: you are in good company.