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|  | Home > About Us > News > Exhibits > Collectors' Obsessions: A Treasury of Books Collectors' Obsessions: A Treasury of Books Exhibition Program | Exhibition Program Committee | Exhibition Schedule Collectors' Obsessions: September 17, 2004 - January 2, 2005 Collectors' Obsessions Catalog INTRODUCTION Bibliomania – mild affliction or incurable disease? The collector’s appetite to amass is often insatiable. Traveling great distances, compromising one’s fortune, and committing acts of stealth and treachery are often part of the quest to satisfy the craving for first editions, autograph copies, manuscripts, fine bindings, and other elusive bibliographical rarities. Collectors’ Obsessions: A Treasury of Books merely begins to probe the depths of this acquisitive drive. Organized into four overarching themes – critical collecting, first editions, the book as object, and The Baltimore Bibliophiles – the exhibition examines this often intense pursuit. Through these personal collections, we gain insight into the collectors and their particular fascinations. “Critical Collecting” illustrates different modes and motives for building a collection, each unique, each reflective of the collector. “First Editions” bring us closer to an historic moment, a celebrated author, the creative process. “The Book as Object” appeals to the senses through fine bindings, beautiful illustrations, typography, and artistry. “The Baltimore Bibliophiles” celebrates the 50th anniversary of a respected fellowship of collectors and their collecting interests. The great collector Wilmarth Sheldon Lewis once wrote, “Collectors appear to non-collectors as selfish, rapacious, and half-mad, which is what collectors frequently are, but they may also be enlightened, generous, and benefactors of society . . . . Mad or sane, they salvage civilization.” With Collectors’ Obsessions, we pay tribute to these patrons whose devotion to books and the book arts helps preserve the cultural legacy of our nation and the world. Acknowledgments We wish to thank the Friends of the Libraries for their generous support of this exhibition. Special thanks are due to the Baltimore Bibliophiles and the following individuals who have made the exhibition possible. Participating Collectors Morton Baum Exhibit Program Committee Sophia Jordan, Director of Preservation and Chair, Exhibits Committee Martha Edgerton, Conservator
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