Book collecting is an obsession, an occupation, a disease, an addiction, a fascination, an absurdity, a fate. It is not a hobby. Those who do it must do it.

Book collecting is a compulsion – an irrational and overwhelming urge to collect and own books. It is not a choice or an activity undertaken for leisure and fun, like a hobby. People who find themselves in the grip of book collecting cannot help but pursue it, even if it affects their lives negatively. It can become an obsession; it can take over their lives and become like a disease. It can be a source of fascination, but often also of absurdity. It can be a powerful desire or even a fate, as if it is something one is forced to do against one’s will.