Today, March 20, marks Bibliomania Day—a celebration of those who can’t stop collecting books even when their shelves are overflowing and significant others are threatening interventions.
The term “bibliomania” emerged in the late 1700s, describing what some considered a medical condition—an obsessive-compulsive desire to collect books. While we’ve moved past diagnosing passionate readers as mentally ill, the term endures as a badge of honor among those who build personal libraries that would make public institutions jealous.
I know a guy—let’s call him Dan—who turned his garage into a library after his collection outgrew three bookcases, then six, then twelve. His partner gave him an ultimatum: the books or me. Dan now lives alone with his 4,000 books, and seems perfectly content with his choice.
The most legendary bibliomaniac was probably Thomas Phillipps, a 19th-century Englishman who accumulated over 100,000 books and manuscripts. His collection was so massive that it took more than a century to catalog and sell after his death. Phillipps once declared, “I wish to have one copy of every book in the world.” He never reached that goal, but not for lack of trying.
Modern bibliomaniacs continue the tradition, though now they battle both spatial and financial constraints. They haunt used bookstores, library sales, and online marketplaces. They have stacks beside their beds that threaten to topple and crush them in their sleep—a death they’d probably find poetic.
What drives bibliomaniacs isn’t just the content of books but their physical presence. The smell of old paper, the texture of a well-worn cover, the satisfaction of seeing titles lined up on a shelf—these sensory experiences can’t be replicated by e-readers, regardless of convenience.
So today, while some might see your overflowing bookshelves as a problem, remember: it’s not hoarding if it’s books. It’s culture. It’s wisdom. It’s bibliomania, and for one day at least, it deserves celebration rather than intervention.
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