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dee9401's review against another edition
4.0
A delightful little book that I acquired in 2015 during the height of my Modern Library fixation but only got around to reading this month. It is a collection of essays (originally printed in The Atlantic) that has been divided into two parts: the first on collecting books and the second on the author's favorite or interesting authors. The first part was excellent and I was drooling and nodding my head as I worked through the fantastic introduction and the essays on collecting. This is a man after my own heart. I admit I too am fond of book catalogues (p. 4) and can amuse myself for hours on end reading them or bibliographic texts. Newton also loves London, especially for its numerous types of bookshops. One quote that easily could have come from my mouth was "There is a city called London for which I have as violent an affection as the most romantic lover ever had for his mistress" (p. 13). I've been very lucky to have spent six weeks in London over my lifetime. It is a magical city.
There are some hiccups along the way. He doesn't seem to be interested in anything that isn't written in English. He cares not for any other ancient or modern language. Sadly, he prefers tomes to be in private collections rather than in a museum. He feels that only a connoisseur, such as himself, can truly appreciate these volumes, not some gawker at a museum. I've been amazed at books I've seen on display, things I could never own, or might not want to own, but can marvel at them and maybe even use them for research.
His sexism and homophobia come out in his piece on Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi and Oscar Wilde. He raves about their work but then does a bit of hacking at the character of these authors. He wants to have it both ways, condemning them but loving their works. It diminishes the quality of those articles. He also does a sad hack job on William Godwin, with whom he disagrees philosophically, but the piece seems only a vehicle for his rant and sadly doesn't bear out over time.
Having mentioned some flaws, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading this collection, including the final essay on Harry Elkins Widener, a rich collector and friend of the author. He died when the Titanic sank, but his legacy lead to the creation of the Widener Memorial Library at Harvard.
There are some hiccups along the way. He doesn't seem to be interested in anything that isn't written in English. He cares not for any other ancient or modern language. Sadly, he prefers tomes to be in private collections rather than in a museum. He feels that only a connoisseur, such as himself, can truly appreciate these volumes, not some gawker at a museum. I've been amazed at books I've seen on display, things I could never own, or might not want to own, but can marvel at them and maybe even use them for research.
His sexism and homophobia come out in his piece on Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi and Oscar Wilde. He raves about their work but then does a bit of hacking at the character of these authors. He wants to have it both ways, condemning them but loving their works. It diminishes the quality of those articles. He also does a sad hack job on William Godwin, with whom he disagrees philosophically, but the piece seems only a vehicle for his rant and sadly doesn't bear out over time.
Having mentioned some flaws, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading this collection, including the final essay on Harry Elkins Widener, a rich collector and friend of the author. He died when the Titanic sank, but his legacy lead to the creation of the Widener Memorial Library at Harvard.
laurenla's review
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
Collected essays on book collecting circa 1900, lots of gossip about London booksellers of the time
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