'The Madman's Library: The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities From History'

As a lover of all things literature, history and the bizarre, “The Madman’s Library: The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities From History” written by Edward Brooke-Hitching caught my attention instantly.

The tag line read, “This fascinating and bizarre collection compiles the most unusual, obscure books from the far reaches of the human imagination throughout history.” That was enough for me. I put it in my cart and checked out.

I am a fiction reader and only read nonfiction on occasion. From the moment I opened the cover, I was intrigued. The beautifully illustrated table of contents revealed chapters on “Books That Aren’t Books,” “Books Made of Flesh & Blood,” “Literary Hoaxes” and “Books of Spectacular Size” to name a few. I couldn’t wait to settle in and start reading.

The author introduces this book with a personal anecdote before delving into an overview of the book’s content. One of the first things I noticed reading the introduction is that in a matter of a few pages, the author takes you from the modern to the ancient and back again. The brief overviews of what was to come made me want to keep reading more.

The author also is able to present the information in a readable and fun way. At no point did I find any of the writing or the subject matter dry. I found myself quietly chuckling on several occasions. The footnotes are especially entertaining. The illustrations are truly mesmerizing and each is given a description that made me want to learn more.

One of the things I liked best about this book was how much I learned and didn’t realize it. Not only did I learn new things about some of my most favorite titles (a set of John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” & “Paradise Regained” from 1760 bound in snake skin is now on my list of things I must see) but I also was introduced to a very diverse collection of things I never knew existed.

As I mentioned, I am a lover of the bizarre, so I was not put off by some of the book’s more gruesome elements. I will say that some of the material in this book is not for the faint of heart, but don’t let that be a deterrent from picking up this fascinating book.

Stop by the Roaring Spring Community Library today and check out Edward Brooke-Hitching’s “The Madman’s Library: The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities From History.”