Bibliomaniac: An Obsessive's Tour of the Bookshops of Britain

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Ince tells us at the beginning of the book that he has ADHD, and the book is a little breathless, rushing from bookshop to bookshop with comments thrown in about everything and everyone….but sometimes he brought me up short with his insight: I’m not going to pretend that I know even a quarter of the references Ince makes to books, writers and general literary miscellany. I just soldiered on, hoping that some of the anecdotes will find a home in my memory via osmosis.

Bibliomaniac by Robin Ince | Waterstones Bibliomaniac by Robin Ince | Waterstones

Someone asked me the other day why I don’t have any hobbies,” says Robin. “I replied that hobbies are a requirement if the work you do isn’t something you truly love. I don’t need a hobby because I absolutely love hanging around with book people, hanging around with scientists, wandering around and creating silly ideas. That is my hobby and that is my life.” Save Women's Conference 2023 Pursuing Biblical Womanhood to your collection. Share Women's Conference 2023 Pursuing Biblical Womanhood with your friends. I think I love books more than I love reading. Their company means there is always the possibility of something to be discovered, waiting for me between the covers, which hasn't even entered my imagination yet. A small but pleasing change in my reality is waiting on every shelf.It is the story of an addiction and a romance, and also of an occasional points failure just outside Oxenholme. An enjoyable trip round the independent book stores of the UK by rail. I read it in a bit of stop /start fashion but enjoyed it overall. There are moments of humour, of slight melancholy which I think the author sufferers from a bit on his solo travels - these are recovered once he engages with the owners and visitors to the bookshops. Something that we’re terrible at in Britain, and particularly in England, is excitement,” he says. “We have a fear of genuine delight. Everyone’s very good at laughing loudly in a scary way late at night drunk on a train, but that vulnerability of exposing yourself in the cold light of day by saying ‘I love this!’ is something we often fear. I love exploring ideas that stay with people and encourage us all to investigate the world more. I find that very exciting.”

Bibliomaniac by Robin Ince | Waterstones

So what is the bibliomaniac currently reading? “The first one is Invisible Painting ,” says Robin. “It’s about the great British-Mexican surrealist painter and author Leonora Carrington, and was written by her son, Gabriel Weisz Carrington. I’m also reading Myths of Gender: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality by Anne Fausto Sterling, who’s a very interesting biologist and kind of activist. And I’ve just started re-reading Good Morning Midnight by Jean Rhys, because I think I might choose it for the book club. Plus, I’m reading Anna Minton’s Ground Control: Fear and Happiness in the 21 st Century .” In this erudite and witty book, Robin reveals why scientific wonder isn’t just for the professionals. Filled with interviews featuring astronauts, comedians, teachers, quantum physicists, neuroscientists and more – as well as charting Robin’s own journey with science – The Importance of Being Interested explores why many wrongly think of the discipline as distant and difficult. From the glorious appeal of the stars above to why scientific curiosity can encourage much needed intellectual humility, this optimistic and profound book will leave you filled with a thirst for intellectual adventure. I chose Bibliomaniac with some trepidation, having yet to find a book about books that doesn’t revere long dead white men and assorted tedious classics, so I was pleased to discover Ince’s taste tends to be rather more eclectic, if not eccentric.Robin’s first solo show was a disaster, but a disaster that ended with him punching a melon with Vernon Kay’s face drawn on it before singing Mustang Sally (still no cruise ship bookings). Despite this, actually, because of this, Robin ended up playing to arenas with Professor Brian Cox. This is the story of how he fell in love with comedy thanks to The Goodies and Rik Mayall and how after 30 years he started to find his voice. Winner: Rose D’Or, Sony Gold and The Arthur C Clarke Award.