A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict

I rated this book 5*'s but not in the normal fashion.The title got my attention as I like "books about books";of which there are a varied lot.To start with,this book is well titled;A Pound of Paper,how unpretentious can you get? Now, as to my rating: As an overall book,I enjoyed it at times,at other times I found it a drag,I skipped a lot;but still couldn't put it down. I rated it 5*'s;but only by adding up 5 single *'s: 1*-As a biography,for anyone who knows the author;I had not heard of him. 1*- Stories about experiences of buying books and searching for 1st.editions,inscribed tomes,etc. 1*-Telling what makes a bibliophile "tick".I noted many of the same traits in myself. 1*- Description of book buying and selling in France. 1*- For the three appendicies. Each of these areas was overshadowed by his experiences;but so many writers and books were of no interest to me and the whole of Sci-Fi leaves me cold as I don't tend to read much of it;although one with that interest would probably rate the book a 5*,for that material alone.Also,the book is heavily slanted to British and Aussie books and hardly mentions anything else.This is understandable as this was where he lived and where his interests lie. Nevertheless any bibliophile will enjoy the book and it is really a 5*.I plan to keep it ,mainly for the appendicies.

By Bill Marsano. The very first thing you should know is that this is a book about collecting, not just book collecting. Collecting--the determined search for specific objects on a given theme--is pretty much the same kind of mania for all collectors, whether they're after vintage cars, rare stamps and coins or--as in this case--books, and whether the treasure they seeks are top dollar or bottom. Every kind of collecting develops its own little cultures and subcultures, its side streets and back alleys, its characters loved or hated or legendary. And, of course, its litany of heart-lifting successes and heart-breaking failures. So if you collect (as distinct from accumulate) or if you know a collector, this book is a definite buy.John Baxter's collecting, which began with science fiction, made him into a short-story writer then a scriptwriter then a novelist and a teacher. He begins his trek in a desolate tank town in Australia, where things start slowly, but he soon moves on--and ups the pace and tension--to London, the U.S. (East Coast and West) and finally Paris. The whole journey runs along like a thrill ride as you join Baxter in a series of adventures and misadventures with his assortment of bookstruck ne-er-do-wells and genial lowlifes.There are only pluses to this book. Plenty of amusing incidents and anecdotes, lots of inside information about book collecting (appplicable to collecting in general) and to top it all off, superb writing. Baxter writes vivid, imaginative, entertaining prose. He is a delight to read.--Bill Marsano is an award-winning travel writer, an editor and a desultory book collector.

Though I do not believe in censorship, books like A POUND OF PAPER: CONFESSIONS OF A BOOK ADDICT need to be hidden from family members. Bibliophiles know the affinity that film biographer John Baxter shares with us. Though not chasing around the world like Mr. Baxter has, book lovers will comprehend the need to hit the obscure bookstore whether on a business trip or a vacation. Going to Europe includes visits to the neighborhood bookstores of Athens and Rome (Greece and Italy not Georgia) as key to the itinerary.Book lovers can commiserate with Mr. Baxter as everyone thinks you're a nut whether one grows up in rural Australia or the urban Bronx. Mr. Baxter provides a bit of book history beyond just the printing press invention and gives insight into proofs and galleys, and limited editions. He also goes into depth of what havoc and destruction the Information Age via the Internet has had on bookstores including the global yard sale of eBay. Though he adds other personal non-book elements of his life, it is his love for the printed media that will hook readers like me whose house displays the destruction of several rain forests (it is hard to be an environmentalist in my abode). Clearly for book hoarders though film addicts might try a spin as Mr. Baxter is part of that community too.Harriet Klausner

This is an enthralling read, fun from beginning to end, brimming with book lore, the thrill of discovery, the fun of collecting. Baxter has written many books, both fiction and the biographies of others in the movie business.In this marvelously constructed volume, there are anecdotes of Larry McMurtry of Lonesome Dove fame, back in his days when he owned and operated a bookstore. Some nice stuff about Paul McCarthy and other celebrity book collectors.Baxter collected Graham Greene, and there are some wonderful stories about him, creating fables and imaginative associated copies, some of which have become legend. I am elated to learn that Baxter is writing a sequel.Most of all, what comes out in this book, is the contagious fun that Baxter has as a reader, an author, and a collector of books. This volume is handsome to behold in red boards, with decorative frontispieces and a striking dustjacket that must be seen in person to be appreciated. It has its own built in red ribbon bookmark.