{"product_id":"the-madmans-library-9781471166914","title":"The Madmans Library","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e* BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK *\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Anybody who loves the printed word will be bowled over by this amusing, erudite, beautiful book about books. It is in every way a triumph. One of the loveliest books to have been published for many, many years' Alexander McCall Smith\u003cbr\u003e 'Quite simply the best gift for any book lover this year, or perhaps ever' Lucy Atkins, \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e Literary Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'An utterly joyous journey into the deepest eccentricities of the human mind… The most cheering, fascinating book I’ve read for ages' \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the author of the critically acclaimed and globally successful \u003ci\u003eThe Phantom Atlas\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Golden Atlas\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Sky Atlas\u003c\/i\u003e comes a stunning new work. \u003ci\u003eThe Madman’s Library\u003c\/i\u003e is a unique, beautifully illustrated journey through the entire history of literature, delving into its darkest\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'This \u003cb\u003egorgeous collection\u003c\/b\u003e of bizarre books through the ages... My favourite - and the \u003cb\u003ejaw-dropping bar\u003c\/b\u003e is high here - is the beautiful, tubercular, 19th-century countess who asked an author to bind his next novel in her skin (he obliged; who wouldn't?). Quite \u003cb\u003esimply the best gift for any book lover this year, perhaps ever\u003c\/b\u003e.' -- Lucy Atkins * Sunday Times, Literary Book of the Year *\u003cbr\u003e'An \u003cb\u003eastonishing\u003c\/b\u003e book about books... This profusely illustrated book is \u003cb\u003ea bibliophile’s dream\u003c\/b\u003e: massive books, tiny books, coded books, books of fathomless eccentricity – they are all here. \u003cb\u003eOne of the most amusing and engaging books to be published for years\u003c\/b\u003e.’ -- Alexander McCall-Smith * New Statesman *\u003cbr\u003e‘\u003cb\u003eFabulously entertaining\u003c\/b\u003e…a tour of the world, a cross-cultural paean to literary ingenuity in all its forms. The book itself is \u003cb\u003ea handsome tome\u003c\/b\u003e, full of \u003cb\u003eextraordinary images\u003c\/b\u003e: illuminated manuscripts, visions of the Devil, early anatomical texts. It is a strangely hopeful book: humankind in all its wild variety, set down somehow on paper.’ -- Erica Wagner * Financial Times *\u003cbr\u003e'The most beautiful objects in literature. \u003cb\u003eYou're going to love this. Extraordinary\u003c\/b\u003e'  -- Dan Snow\u003cbr\u003e‘The strangest books ever written, from tomes bound in human skin to a bible that conceals a pistol and a passage of Martian writing channelled through a psychic. A cornucopia of curiosities. \u003cb\u003eSpellbinding…a fascinating tome\u003c\/b\u003e.’ * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003e'Brooke-Hitching’s prose is \u003cb\u003eelegant and witty\u003c\/b\u003e [and] the images...make the book \u003cb\u003ea real joy\u003c\/b\u003e' * Spectator *\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eIntriguing\u003c\/b\u003e...it is \u003cb\u003ea bibliophile's paradise\u003c\/b\u003e, bringing together the weirdest and \u003cb\u003emost eccentric\u003c\/b\u003e books ever published. It is \u003cb\u003ea treasure trove\u003c\/b\u003e of peculiarity, presented in the most \u003cb\u003ecaptivating\u003c\/b\u003e way.' * The Lady, Books of the Year *\u003cbr\u003e‘Sit back and enjoy the ride as the book sails off into \u003cb\u003eever more outlandish territory\u003c\/b\u003e…\u003ci\u003eThe Madman’s Library \u003c\/i\u003eowes as much to his journalistic eye for a good story as it does to bibliographic expertise. It \u003cb\u003efairly barrels along\u003c\/b\u003e, delivering a \u003cb\u003eriot of colourful episodes\u003c\/b\u003e and even more colourful images. Special mention should be made of the illustrations, in fact, since they carry the book every bit as much as the text…This is a book to dip into, browse, fondle and ogle rather than read cover to cover. For bibliophiles who have missed the serendipitous delights of actual libraries over the past few months, it’s\u003cb\u003e the ideal tonic\u003c\/b\u003e.’ -- Gill Partington * Literary Review *\u003cbr\u003e‘This \u003cb\u003eriotous history of weird and wonderful books\u003c\/b\u003e… It’s suitably lively…but never loses sight of the history among the hijinks.’ * History Revealed *\u003cbr\u003e'For a bibliophile's reading pleasure, Brooke-Hitching brings together \u003cb\u003eweird and wondrous tomes\u003c\/b\u003e from antiquity and all corners of the globe.' * Saga magazine *\u003cbr\u003e'The book veers \u003cb\u003efrom compulsively gross to deliciously odd\u003c\/b\u003e, but always fascinating.' -- Francesca Carington * Tatler *\u003cbr\u003e'A lavishly illustrated compendium of literary oddities' * Radio Times *\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48867179397463,"sku":"9781471166914","price":21.25,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781471166914.jpg?v=1722282064","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-madmans-library-9781471166914","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}