Bibliomanianism

/ˌbɪb.li.oʊˈmeɪ.ni.ə.nɪz.əm/ noun

Definition

An excessive or obsessive passion for collecting and possessing books, often to an unhealthy degree; book fanaticism as an ideology.

Etymology

From 'bibliomania' (obsessive book collecting) plus '-ism' suffix creating an ideology or system. 'Bibliomania' itself comes from Greek 'biblion' (book) plus 'mania' (madness).

Kelly Says

Bibliomania became so real that 18th-century wealthy collectors would literally spend fortunes trying to own every edition of a book—some went bankrupt chasing complete sets!

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