Life among the Gently Mad.

You probably have one of those friends.  They one that has a book in his car just in case.  Or in her bag.  Maybe you are that friend.  You have books all over your house just in case.

I read a lot. Which really isn’t the sign of a bibliophile/maniac. I go beyond that. I like books. I want to own books. I want first editions, ARCs, UK Firsts, Limited editions. I have multiple copies of certain books. I want the entire publication run of a particular book. I want the ARC, the First US Edition, the First UK Edition, and even the manuscript if I can afford it ( I have a few right now actually). I find myself always trying to find used book stores for that one of a kind find. I visit my local stores daily to see if there is something new I want. I want to complete a series if the series exists.

The Gently Mad Blog is a look into the mind of a crazy book person. It is about what I read, collect, think about, rant about, contemplate, and at times fly off the handle about.  I read across multiple genres.  I mainly stick to the Weird and SF.  I delve into new genres with a single mindedness to the point of exhaustion and mental fatigue.

If it were possible, I would read every book ever written, build a library building just for me, and live out my last days enjoying the printed page.

That reminds me of a New Yorker Magazine cartoon.  There is a couple with a real estate agent standing in the middle of an apartment which is empty. However, the room is filled with built in book cases and you can see in the hallway, more built in book cases. The couple says to the Agent, “So the previous owners they were freaks right?” Or something to that affect. Book collectors are crazy. There are stories of collectors that purchased houses just to store their books. Umberto Eco reportedly has 100K volumes and the weight makes his floors sag. Books are life.

You can see my library catalogued online.