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The Madman's Library: The Greatest Curiosities of Literature

* BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK *

'Anybody who loves the printed word will be bowled over by this amusing, erudite, beautiful book about books. It is in every way a triumph. One of the loveliest books to have been published for many, many years' Alexander McCall Smith

'Quite simply the best gift for any book lover this year, or perhaps ever' Lucy Atkins, Sunday Times Literary Book of the Year

'An utterly joyous journey into the deepest eccentricities of the human mind… The most cheering, fascinating book I’ve read for ages' Guardian

From the author of the critically acclaimed and globally successful The Phantom Atlas, The Golden Atlas and The Sky Atlas comes a stunning new work. The Madman’s Library is a unique, beautifully illustrated journey through the entire history of literature, delving into its darkest territories to hunt down the very strangest books ever written, and uncover the fascinating stories behind their creation.

This is a madman’s library of eccentric and extraordinary volumes from around the world, many of which have been completely forgotten. 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, books of code and cypher whose secrets remain undiscovered… and a few others that are just plain weird.

From the 605-page Qur'an written in the blood of Saddam Hussein, through the gorgeously decorated 15th-century lawsuit filed by the Devil against Jesus, to the lost art of binding books with human skin, every strand of strangeness imaginable (and many inconceivable) has been unearthed and bound together for a unique and richly illustrated collection ideal for every book-lover.


Author:

  • Edward Brooke-Hitching

Format:

  • E-book

Duration:

  • 206 pages

Language:

English

Categories:

  • History
  • General history

More by Edward Brooke-Hitching

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  1. The Most Interesting Book in the World

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  2. The Madman's Orchestra

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  3. Love; A Curious History

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  4. Pinturas peculiares, esculturas extravagantes y otras curiosidades de la historia del arte

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  5. The Madman's Gallery : The Strangest Paintings, Sculptures and Other Curiosities From the History of Art

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  6. Atlas del cielo : Grandes mapas, mitos y descubrimientos del Universo

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  7. Atlas del cielo, del infierno y del más allá

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  8. The Devil's Atlas : An Explorer's Guide to Heavens, Hells and Afterworlds

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  9. The Sky Atlas : The Greatest Maps, Myths and Discoveries of the Universe

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  10. The Golden Atlas : The Greatest Explorations, Quests and Discoveries on Maps

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  11. The Phantom Atlas: The Greatest Myths, Lies and Blunders on Maps

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  • 13 books

    Edward Brooke-Hitching

    Edward Brooke-Hitching is the author of the critically acclaimed and bestselling books The Phantom Atlas (2016), The Golden Atlas (2018), The Sky Atlas (2019), The Madman's Library (2020) and The Devil's Atlas (2021), all of which have been translated into numerous languages; he is also the author of Fox Tossing, Octopus Wrestling and Other Forgotten Sports (2015). He is a writer for the BBC series QI. A fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and an incurable cartophile, he lives surrounded by dusty heaps of old maps and books in Berkshire.

    Read more

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