In late 2018, this magnificent library was disassembled and sent to auction, scattering its precious volumes across the globe.
Now, the man who compiled it tells the story of the collection—and of his career as a collector—through the anecdotes surrounding some of its key titles. Featuring tales of dogged pursuits, chance discoveries, and all sorts of adventures in the world of books, these are the memoirs of “gentle madness” (to borrow Nicholas A. Basbane’s elegant term).
But they are also the chronicles of a life’s work, as the book collection grew alongside Penzler’s other burgeoning enterprises—most importantly, the Mysterious Bookshop.
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Stories include:
A great American classic found for a dollar at a college book sale
A 25,000-volume library acquired in pursuit of a single title contained therein
The world’s finest copy of Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest, given as a gift
A 3,000-mile voyage to rural Scotland in search of a rarity
A bookish treasure bought with a bank loan
Famous first editions earned solely through sweat equity
Click Here to Read a Sample
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Illustrated with full-color photographs from the collection, and enlivened by the author’s reminiscences of booksellers, fellow collectors, and writers he’s encountered along the way, Mysterious Obsession offers a unique perspective of not only crime fiction, and not only book collecting, but of the literary life as a whole as experienced by one of its greatest proponents.
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 Mysterious Obsession is a beautiful elegy for a truly unique library. Arriving just in time for the holidays, this book is certain to please book people of all stripes, including those interested in perfecting their own collections, those intrigued by the art of the book hunt, and those who delight in tales from the world of bookselling.
This reprint will not be numbered but it will be signed on request. $40.00.
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