Bibliomania; or Book-Madness: A Bibliographical Romance

"Bibliomania; or Book-Madness" by Thomas Frognall Dibdin is a satirical work first published in 1809. Written as fictional dialogues among book collectors, it playfully diagnoses a supposed disease afflicting wealthy bibliophiles of the Romantic era. Through mock-heroic conversations, Dibdin catalogs obsessive symptoms: coveting uncut copies, first editions, banned books, and rare bindings. This eccentric work gently mocks aristocratic collectors while simultaneously fueling the very collecting mania it pretends to cure, becoming Dibdin's bestselling production and inspiring legendary auction battles. (This is an automatically generated summary.)