American Antiquarian Society
185 Salisbury Street
Worcester, MA 01609
United States
During the mid-nineteenth century, Americans witnessed the growth of major public, university, and historical society libraries. In her new book Book Madness: A Story of Collectors in America, Denise Gigante brings to life the stories of bibliophiles who assembled these institutions and shaped intellectual life in America during the 1840s. Booksellers, publishers, editors, librarians, journalists, poets, actors, politicians, and even clergymen all hastened to collect books, manuscripts, and other objects related to America's history. Join us as Gigante discusses this book mania of American antiquarianism and explores the power books have to bring people together.
Denise Gigante is the Sadie Dernham Patek Professor of Humanities at Stanford University. She is the author, most recently, of Book Madness: A Story of Book Collectors in America (Yale University Press, 2022) and The Keats Brothers: The Story of John and George (Yale University Press, 2011)