Admiring Gladstone’s Library – where I found some remarkable books about, well, books….
(If you click on the links, they should work despite not being highlighted!)
Books About Books – A list
I have always had an obsession with books – their content, as objects, libraries and so on. I am not the only one – apparently Simon Thomas of https://www.stuckinabook.com/about-stuck-in-a-book/ has a shelf of Books About Books.
So I thought I would post a list of some of my favourites, some new, some older, some I have reviewed and some which are waiting to be read! There are some strange choices here – rabbit holes have been gone down…
As with all my lists on Northernreader, please add any ideas in the comments below. I know I will forget some obvious ones and I would like anyone who reads this to feel free to add their own ideas to the list.
- The Library – A Fragile History by Arthur der Weduwen and Andrew Pettegree (2021) – I have had a copy of this since it came out, it seemed so desirable. A solid history of libraries, the people and books that fill them – academic but apparently quite readable – the source book for many further studies.
- The Bookseller’s Tale by Martin Latham (2020) I reviewed this here https://northernreader.wordpress.com/2023/01/25/the-booksellers-tale-by-martin-latham-a-very-readable-history-of-books-and-those-who-appreciate-them/ I really enjoyed reading this!
- Portable Magic – A History of Books and their Readers by Emma Smith (2022) I am looking forward to reading this which appears to have a detailed look at controversies concerning books as well as “What Is a Book?”
- Eve Bites Back – An Alternative History of English Literature by Anna Beer (2022) I have just started reading this – feminist historical perspectives on British Women writers from the theological Julian of Norwich though to someone called Jane Austen…
- What Writers Read by Pandora Sykes (2022) a fascinating little books with lots of ideas. I reviewed it here https://northernreader.wordpress.com/2023/01/07/what-writers-read-edited-by-pandora-sykes-thirty-five-writers-on-their-favourite-book/
- Bibliomanic: An Obsessive’s Tour of the Bookshops of Britain by Robin Ince (2022) I have got a copy of this to read. As you may know I feature accessible bookshops – when I can find them – on this blog under the heading “Bookshop Tour on Four Wheels”. Maybe this will suggest a few more I can try…
- Bookshop Tours of Britain by Louise Boland (2020) I have consulted this to try to find possible accessible bookshops with limited success though it is a well -produced book which is generally useful.
- Dear Reader : The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink (2020) A deeply personal book about reading, bookselling and how books can change lives. I reviewed it here https://northernreader.wordpress.com/2020/12/20/dear-reader-by-cathy-rentzenbrink-a-book-about-the-joy-of-reading-and-the-love-of-books/
- Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading by Lucy Mangan (2018) I reviewed this book here https://northernreader.wordpress.com/2018/04/29/bookworm-a-memoir-of-childhood-reading-by-lucy-mangan-only-for-children/and I was a bit disappointed in that it only mentioned children’s books. I subsequently met Lucy and she explained that it represented ideas for children’s books rather than what she actually read ( I was surprised that she had not acquired more grown up books like I did!)
- The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell (2017) The first in a series of three so far revealing the daily life in a bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland. Fascinating and often funny, I reviewed it here https://northernreader.wordpress.com/2017/11/11/the-diary-of-a-bookseller-by-shaun-bythell/
- Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell (2019) more of the same – here is my review https://northernreader.wordpress.com/2023/01/09/confessions-of-a-bookseller-by-shaun-bythell-a-humourous-and-honest-account-of-life-in-a-remarkable-bookshop-and-the-people-who-frequent-it/ I have Remainders of the Day, the 2022 book to read – I’m looking forward to it!
- The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and their Creators by Martin Edwards (2022) A big book which encapsulates the history of crime writing – fictional – from the very beginnings and in various countries. A book of reference, but also very readable! Here is my review https://northernreader.wordpress.com/2022/05/28/the-life-of-crime-by-martin-edwards-detecting-the-history-of-mysteries-and-their-creators-a-big-book/
So there you have it – a dozen books about books – some specific, some more general. I am sure that there are dozens more – perhaps older, that I have not listed, so please feel free to add your own ideas. My next list may be about books, bookshops and libraries in fiction – watch this space!
Northern Reader 
Lovely list – some great titles on there!!
I have a books about books shelf, too! I have Bibliomaniac (just arrived, tbr) and want to read What Writers Read quite desperately, and I have read the Bythells.
I am devastated to say I don’t think our new indie bookshop is wheelchair-accessible. They are stuck with a door in a run of windows and doors that they can’t change, and I know they’re gutted about it, too. They will hand-deliver locally at least, though not ideal obviously.
That’s a great list. I too have an obsession with books of a sort, but somehow most books about books or libraries bore me to death (maybe it all started with my disastrous reading of Fitzgerald’s The Bookshop) or maybe I have not picked up the right ones yet. Your list is certainly inspiring, and The Life of Crime is definitely very tempting. I have a number of books edited by Martin Edwards, and they are superb. I certainly respect his expertise.