An excellent little book for what it is: a collection of facts about books and authors. Oldest books in existence, description of the ISBN system, book towns, oddest titles of the year, and a code key to Penguin paperbacks are all examples of the interesting and sometimes amusing facts collected together in this small tome.

I'm afraid MT learned rather more obscure facts about book than he'd have said he was interested interested in, as I couldn't resist reading many of the sections out load. My only disappointment was the distinctly UK focus; a small disappointment all things considered.

"Of all the things man can do or make here below,
by far the most momentous, wonderful, and
worthy are the things we call books."

– Thomas Carlyle ( )

In case you haven't worked it out yet, I love books. I even like reading books about books too, and when I was given an opportunity to read The Book Lovers’ Miscellany I jumped at the chance. This small volume is packed to the covers with details and facts and stories about books, authors and significant events from the world of literature.

If you want a list of publishers who declined the books that went onto break all the sales records, which parts of animals have graced the pages and the what the largest and smallest books ever made were about and the texts that have been translated the most, then this is a really good place to start. You can find out who are the youngest authors, who are the most prolific and who left unfinished manuscripts, as well as finding out what the colours of the original Penguin paperbacks were for. Not sure what colophon and incunabule mean? The answers are in here as well as finding out what books other than science fiction contains wormholes.

This is a delightfully written and produced book that is a treasure trove of information. Perfect for anyone who has the slightest interest in books, authors and reading, it is short so will take almost no time to read spend a few moments to learn a new fact every time you open it. ( )

If you're looking for the perfect gift for a book lover, then look no further than The Book Lovers' Miscellany. What a treasure trove of information this is. I want to read it again and again to see what I missed. It's one of those books that you'll read something new each time you pick it up.

I just love the pocket size of this book, it makes it so transportable and I feel like I want to carry it with me everywhere so I can dip in and out of it and read excerpts to my friends and family. There are so many interesting facts and so much to learn in this small but mighty book. If you're a lover of lists, you will LOVE this...from the most translated authors to the most popular children books. These facts are portrayed in such a way that you will remember them and be able to amaze your book loving friends, which I plan to do!

I can't recommend this book highly enough, I feel like it is my little bibliophilic bible and I never want to be parted from it. Small but mighty, The Book Lovers' Miscellany will enchant any book lover.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. ( )

A collection of random book-related trivia compiled by a staff member at the Bodleian Library. Light and fast reading, with a feeling more of pub quiz level trivia than deep history of the book as object but fun all the same. ( )