Biblioholism: The Literary Addiction

Tom Raabe

Golden, CO: Fulcrum Publishing, 1991; Pages: 180

An absolutely hilarious and entertaining look at the addiction that afflicts countless unfortunate souls. The compulsion to buy books and stash them (ordered or in complete chaos) that drives friends and relatives to desperation and the addicts to destitution. The odd behavior lacking in the social grace department, the unusual dressing habits, and the mania to read everywhere and at all times. The disease that ranges from mild buying sprees at your local bookstore to interring the books in the backyard or even digesting them. This book is all about this: biblioholism. It is also an irreverent book because under a thin veneer of satire it unmasks some unwholesome tendencies (aka biblionarcissism) of many a socialite.

This is a book I was unable to put down until the very last page. The style is engaging and literate, the pace is quick and so is the wit. From the brief/long history of the book (I laughed till I almost choked) to the Are-You-One-Of-Them/Us test, the book never lets down. It is liberally sprinkled with historical examples, and quite a few made up (but very very funny) stories. Being on the verge of biblioholism myself (exactly 12 points on the test, which puts me on the very brink of the abyss), I can relate to many of the problems these people have to deal with, denial being the most prominent one, but I was also surprised by the lengths to which some poor souls would go to indulge their insatiable lust for books.

I watched a Book-TV program with two biblioholics who had just put out an edited volume with stories by and about people with less than a healthy attitude toward books, and it was very intriguing but managed to only scratch the surface of the "problem." Unfortunately, both editors (who shall remain nameless) lacked the humorous approach of Raabe and took themselves way too seriously. This is a pitfall notably missing in the book, which makes it an enjoyable read.

March 4, 2000. BLS

@BOOK{raabe-91:biblioholism,
    TITLE     = {Biblioholism: The Literary Addiction},
    AUTHOR    = {Tom Raabe},
    YEAR      = {1991},
    PUBLISHER = {Fulcrum Publishing},
    ADDRESS   = {Golden CO},
    ISBN      = {1-55591-080-7},
    NOTE      = {Pp. 180}
}