Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Harper (2001), Edition: 1, 656 pages
Description
In his national bestseller, A Gentle Madness, Nicholas Basbanes explored the sweet obsession people feel to possess books. Now, Basbanes continues his adventures among the "gently mad" on an irresistible journey to the great libraries of the past -- from Alexandria to Glastonbury -- and to contemporary collections at the Vatican, Wolfenbüttel, and erudite universities. Along the way, he drops in on eccentric book dealers and regales us with stories about unforgettable collectors, such as the gentleman who bought a rare book in 1939 "by selling bottles of his own blood." Taking the book's grand title from the marble lions guarding the New York Public Library at 42nd Street, Basbanes both entertains and delights. And once again, as Scott Turow aptly noted, "Basbanes makes you love books, the collections he writes about, and the volume in your hand."… (more)
Media reviews
LOGOS: Professional Journal of the Book World
“An Exemplary Piece of Work … a rich feast … sheer pleasure … One dips into it, absorbs the many interwoven details, and comes away edified, enlightened, delighted and enriched … The tone, the pace, and the `weave' of Basbanes's prose have a cumulative effect. His journalistic background
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has taught him how to craft a good sentence, good paragraphs, and a captivating narrative line. His conversational style makes the reader acutely sympathetic to his intent; it makes us want to repay him with unflagging attention. His appreciation, even reverence, for all things bibliographic tells book lovers they are in the company of a kindred spirit. I'm looking forward to the completion of the trilogy.” Show Less
Clark University Libraries News
“Mr. Basbanes is a good writer with a loyal and growing readership. But he is also a writer enamored of books for their artifactual as well as intellectual value, for their beauty and uniqueness, and for the culture of the mind they embody and promote. This kind of love is not given to all
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writers. It doesn't just come with the talent. How fortunate a man to have such a passion. How fortunate his readers that he is willing to share.” Show Less
Pages
“Not only is Basbanes seriously obsessed with books, he's fascinated by libraries, spots where libraries once stood, bookstores, other bibliophiles, and, basically, anything else to do with books.”
The Caxtonian
“From almost the first page, one gets the sense that Nicholas Basbanes has done for books in Patience & Fortitude what Kenneth Clark did for Western Civilization in 1969, with the publication of his monumental work, Civilisation."
“By any measure, his interviews, his travels to sites around
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the world, his comprehensive scholarship, or his inspired writing, Basbanes has given us a full history of the book, its importance, its collection, and its future.” Show Less
Chattanooga Times Free Press
“Book lovers relish meeting people who share their passion, just as all aficionados gravitate toward their own kind. So when Nicholas Basbanes, the king of bibliophiles, speaks here on Tuesday, there's sure to be a like-minded crowd on hand to absorb his every word. He is a most exciting and
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entertaining speaker.” Show Less
Houston Chronicle
“[recommended] for habitual readers and book lovers—generally one and the same—Basbanes's book holds reams of fascinating information about the wide world of books past and present.”
The Washington Post
“Patience & Fortitude is a new journey into the world of rare books and book collecting … [it] contains much of interest and is welcome as an account of the changing world of rare books at the dawn of the 21st century.”
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
“A comprehensive look at just about all things bookish … There are vivid descriptions of shops, libraries, universities, museums and private collections, along with portraits of people whose lives revolve around the buying and selling of rare volumes. ”
The New York Times Book Review
“Patience and Fortitude follows Basbanes's first book about book lovers, A Gentle Madness, and fortunately it's just as enjoyably chatty.”
Kirkus Reviews
“[An] entertaining exploration of the world of books … Basbanes's anecdotes will bring considerable pleasure to those who value books and learning … .His enthusiasm for books and their makers is overwhelming. Of much interest to readers who, like the author, nurse a passion for books.”
Boston Globe
“Nicholas Basbanes is no ordinary book lover. Not only do books themselves fascinate him, virtually everything about them does as well, including the ways they have been stored and safeguarded in the past and will be in the future … Patience & Fortitude is a big, rambling book that is as
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readable as its predecessor.” Show Less
Orlando Sentinel
“More than just an … informational tome, it is alive with the people and places that make the book a symbol of learning … Nimble and friendly … . Essential reading for anyone interested in appreciating a science central to the evolution of history as we know it—the history of the book.”
Toledo Blade
“… a work of detailed scholarship filtered through the author's loving regard for books and those who make, collect, and preserve them. [Basbanes] captures the essential qualities of the bookish, with grace and an easy erudition … a superb storyteller … fascinating … inspires travel plans
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and reading lists, piques visions of the future and commitments to preservation of the past; raises public policy questions, and inspires curiosity, as any good book should.” Show Less
Toronto Star
“Basbanes has a deep and abiding passion for books--a joyful affliction … .will delight any true bibliomaniac … Part travelogue, part scholarship and all story … [Basbanes's] joy is infectious.”
New Orleans Times-Picayune
"Patience and Fortitude will keep all those who love books and libraries reading into the wee hours. Reading this book, book lovers feel that Basbanes is writing just for them, for that small but strong circle of those who love books, book places and book people. We know who we are."
Publishers Weekly
“Basbanes's fund of stories will delight readers who value books for more than just a good story, have a yen for second-hand books plucked from dusty shops or look to book catalogs for suspense and excitement.”
International Herald Tribune
“A few years ago I read and was enraptured by Nicholas Basbanes's splendid book whose subtitle, Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes and the Eternal Passion for Books, tells it all. I have just finished reading his new and equally delightful sequel Patience & Fortitude: A Roving Chronicle of Book People,
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Book Places, and Book Culture.” Show Less
Christian Science Monitor
“This poignant glimpse is but one of the many fascinating stories told by Nicholas Basbanes in Patience & Fortitude, a grand, rambling, serendipitous treasure-house of material about books and the people who have loved them.”
Booklist
“Basbanes focuses on the challenges today's libraries face as books and digital information vie for limited budgets and space [he] concludes with an eloquent, knowledgeable, and invaluable argument for maintaining a balance between the traditional and the new.”
Library Journal
“Extensive and ardent research … lively … . An eloquent, knowledgeable, and invaluable argument for maintaining a balance between the traditional and the new.” —Library Journal
Harper's Magazine
"The printed book cannot be destroyed....Even so, the book can diminish in number of copies and become very rare indeed; hence the proliferation of collectors and dealers, about whom Basbanes knows as much as anybody alive. He also has the anecdotal skills to make these people charming and heroic."
User reviews
LibraryThing member stevenschmitt
If you love books than you will love Nicholas Basbanes. In this installment of Basbanes ode to all things printed and bound he delves into (among other things) the world of libraries, their noble traditions as well as a few shameful failings. Implicit in every page of this and all his books is a
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genuine love of his topic, and this mixed with his broad scholarship and pleasant narrative make him a joy to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member fionaturnbull
love it love it love it - I can't get enough of the stories about books and the people who live in the book world
LibraryThing member nickphilosophos
Let us start with the cover: a magnificent work of art. The exquisite "wood-cut" and the wonderful organic illumination around it give this book an air of importance and prestige. And then, the text itself. Superbly researched with a wonderful quality of readability. Basbanes is a truly insightful
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character who enjoys books and the history surrounding them. This a great book for all book lovers. Show Less
LibraryThing member Library_Lin
I love books. I really do. And I love bookstores and libraries and book people in general. So, it makes sense that I would love this book.
Nicholas Basbanes also wrote A Gentle Madness, a book I stumbled upon in my public library a few years ago and fell in love with. So, I picked this one up and
I’m happy to say that some of these questions have been settled, sort of. Back then, some people saw the future of libraries in digital materials. They were ready to turn print lose to perish or thrive entirely in the wild. However, most people now realize that the demand for print books isn’t going away soon.
But libraries aren’t the only thing Basbanes discusses in this book. He talks about the people who collect rare books and the people who sell them. I don’t live with the kind of money he’s talking about, so I don’t keep up with the rare book market. But that doesn’t mean I don’t find it captivating as any self-respecting bibliophile would.
I admit to gushing a bit in this review. While reading about all these private, academic, and extensive public book collections was like a fairytale for me. It felt like reading Victoria magazine as a newlywed, setting up housekeeping, and dreaming of the possibilities. While I’ll never have room to store 50,000 volumes in my house, Basbanes has me dreaming of how that would look. And that’s almost as good as actually having it.
Nicholas Basbanes also wrote A Gentle Madness, a book I stumbled upon in my public library a few years ago and fell in love with. So, I picked this one up and
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read it with glee. It’s over 20 years old and reading it for me was like a trip to my professional past as a librarian. The arguments librarians, their administrators, and the public had decades ago brought back so much angst for me.I’m happy to say that some of these questions have been settled, sort of. Back then, some people saw the future of libraries in digital materials. They were ready to turn print lose to perish or thrive entirely in the wild. However, most people now realize that the demand for print books isn’t going away soon.
But libraries aren’t the only thing Basbanes discusses in this book. He talks about the people who collect rare books and the people who sell them. I don’t live with the kind of money he’s talking about, so I don’t keep up with the rare book market. But that doesn’t mean I don’t find it captivating as any self-respecting bibliophile would.
I admit to gushing a bit in this review. While reading about all these private, academic, and extensive public book collections was like a fairytale for me. It felt like reading Victoria magazine as a newlywed, setting up housekeeping, and dreaming of the possibilities. While I’ll never have room to store 50,000 volumes in my house, Basbanes has me dreaming of how that would look. And that’s almost as good as actually having it.
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LibraryThing member tuckerresearch
Not as interesting, to me, as Basbanes's A Gentle Madness, but a nice diversion. Where A Gentle Madness mainly chronicled individual bibliophiles, bibliomaniacs, and even bibliokleptomaniacs, this covers places sacred to the history of the book, tells of book sellers and their bookstores, and
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libraries and librarians. Though I found many bits to be interesting, I found several others that were boring. The reading dragged in places. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2001
Physical description
656 p.; 9.25 inches
ISBN
0060196955 / 9780060196950