Review: 'The Madman's Library: The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities from History' by Edward Brooke-Hitching
Pub. Date: 4/6/2021
Publisher: Chronicle Books
This fascinating and bizarre collection compiles the most unusual, obscure books from the far reaches of the human imagination throughout history.
From the author of the critically acclaimed bestsellers The Phantom Atlas and The Sky Atlas comes a unique and beautifully illustrated journey through the history of literature. The Madman’s Library delves into its darkest territories to hunt down the oddest books and manuscripts ever written, uncovering the intriguing stories behind their creation.
From the Qur’an written in the blood of Saddam Hussein, to the gorgeously decorated fifteenth-century lawsuit filed by the Devil against Jesus, to the most enormous book ever created, The Madman’s Library features many long forgotten, eccentric, and extraordinary volumes gathered from around the world.
Books written in blood and books that kill, books of the insane and books that hoaxed the globe, books invisible to the naked eye and books so long they could destroy the Universe, books worn into battle and books of code and cypher whose secrets remain undiscovered. Spell books, alchemist scrolls, wearable books, edible books, books to summon demons, books written by ghosts, and more all come together in the most curiously strange library imaginable.
Featuring hundreds of remarkable images and packed with entertaining facts and stories to discover, The Madman’s Library is a captivating compendium perfect for bibliophiles, literature enthusiasts, and collectors intrigued by bizarre oddities, obscure history, and the macabre.
You know that feeling when you walk into a room, whether that room is in a museum, a library, and old mansion or someone's house, and your eyes land on something that has you freeze in the spot? Suddenly you're utterly fascinated and you just need to know everything about whatever object it is that has caught your attention. I love those moments and in my case it is often book-adjacent. Humanity's history with the "written" word is long. I have purposely put "written" between quotation marks because ink isn't the only way humanity has tried to immortalize their thoughts and going-ons. We have carved it into stone, knotted it into thread, and probably yelled it into the sky, which proved less permanent. This human obsession has taken so many different shapes and forms and I adored being able to tour through so many of them.
The Madman's Library is divided into a variety of chapters with amazing titles like 'Books that aren't Books' and 'Books of Spectacular Sizes'. The title will only give you the barest hint of the curiosities you will find inside and each and everyone is a surprise. While the chapter on books bound in human skin might not be for everyone, there are also plenty of funny and heartwarming entries. Brooke-Hitchings uses the books he describes as starting points as well for broader discussions on literature and humanity. I Tweeted a while ago about the hilarious English as She is Spoke by Pedro Carolino which you all deserve to know about. It's the worst and best translation book ever produced and I love it. I also enjoyed reading about the bibliohoaxes in which fakes were taken way to seriously and about the bestiaries which contained beautiful illustrations of animals real and imagined. What I'm trying to say is that The Madman's Library is a true joy to read. It is like a treasure trove of the weird and wonderful and every visit is rewarding.
Edward Brooke-Hitching's writing is perfect for the book's purpose. His descriptions are funny, informative, insightful and aware of its audience. The madness lies in the scope of The Madman's Library , which is immense in a great way. Brooke-Hitching covers centuries and continents, hopping from enormous books to tiny ones, from books written in blood to books made up of lies. He leaves some of the usual suspects aside to dig into the more unexpected and surprising, which I greatly appreciated. The illustrations are great as well and often help to underline Brooke-Hitching's points. This is what I mean by a great Coffee Table Book! It is beautiful, interesting, easy to dip in and out of, and a great conversation starter. I will be needing a copy of this in my own library as soon as possible.
I give this book...
The Madman's Library is the best possible gift for anyone obsessed with books in any way, shape or form. There are so many beautiful things in these pages, and hilarious ones, and slightly horrifying ones. Do yourself a favour!
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