4.25
informative slow-paced

Unique in its delivery, this book was an interesting read. Following the lives of some of most preeminent manuscript collectors through history, Christopher de Hamel brings to life these historical characters and the love of manuscripts that they all shared. The content is intriguing if a little wordy and messy in formatting. I enjoyed reading about the love of old books from those who made it their lives to collect as you really do feel, to a lesser extent, the reverence for the (hand)written word.  The book was probably not worth the high cost of the hardcover but it was a gift so I cannot complain.