The event will feature the book’s author, Nicholas A. Basbanes, as well as a panel of three speakers (Rebecca Romney, Co-Founder of TypePunchMatrix; Kurt Zimmerman, President of the Book Hunters of Houston; and Kevin M. O’Sullivan, Curator of Rare Books & Manuscripts, Texas A&M University), who will each reflect upon the book’s lasting legacy.
This symposium coincides with the opening of “The Eternal Passion: Nicholas A. Basbanes and the Making of A Gentle Madness,” on exhibition at Cushing Library through 14 August. When it was first published in 1995,A Gentle Madness was described by critics as an “exceptionally entertaining and comprehensive history of bibliomania,” “a wonderful gallery of eccentrics, isolatos, charmers and visionaries,” and “compulsory for anyone seriously interested in books or curious about the manic nature of collecting.” This exhibition offers an intimate portrait of the research, writing, publishing, and reception of this genre-defining book about books.
3:00 - 6:00pm
Light refreshments will be served
Free & open to the public
Cushing Memorial Library & Archives
Texas A&M University
TAMU 5000
400 Spence Street (Main Campus near the Central Campus Garage)
College Station, TX
30.6169455, -96.3374779
The Eternal Passion: A Symposium Celebrating 25 Years of A Gentle Madness
