Bibliomania is an obsessive-compulsive disorder involving the collecting or hoarding of books to the point where social relations or health are damaged. One of several psychological disorders associated with books, bibliomania is characterized by the collecting of books which have no use to the collector nor any great intrinsic value to a genuine book collector. The purchase of multiple copies of the same book and edition and the accumulation of books beyond possible capacity of use or enjoyment are frequent symptoms of bibliomania.
Bibliomania is not to be confused with bibliophily, which is the usual love of books and is not considered a clinical psychological disorder. [Well, thank goodness for that, at least].
Other abnormal behaviours involving books include book-eating (bibliophagy), compulsive book-stealing (bibliokleptomania), and book-burying (bibliotaphy).
Dig in.
2 comments:
Oh, good.
Not quite bibliomania for me. That's a relief.
The difference between an etymologists and an entymologist:
An etymologist is a bookworm, and entymologist finds worms in books.
Hugh
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