ARGONAUT BOOKS

The word 'collecting' is often seen alongside the word 'mania,' but I never really understood just how intensely, wildly, hilariously and sometimes tragically obsessive true collectors can be until I read, in breathless wonder, James Delbourgo's magnificent A Noble Madness. A study of a certain kind of pathology, yes, but one that casts light on the whole history of ideas and the development of human curiosity and learning. This book is itself so compulsive and entertaining that I found myself wanting to collect the collectors whose lives and passions Delbourgo so brilliantly brings to life.St...Read More