bibliomaniac

A bibliomaniac carefully arranges a new book on a crowded shelf.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person with an extreme enthusiasm for books: A "bibliomaniac" is an individual who exhibits an obsessive or passionate love for collecting and possessing books, often to an excessive degree.

Usage Examples

• (A person with an extreme passion for book collecting.)
• (Someone with an obsessive enthusiasm for books.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be a bibliomaniac for something": to have an intense, often uncontrollable, desire for a specific type of book or collection.
  • He was a bibliomaniac for first-edition novels from the 19th century. (He had an obsessive passion for collecting those specific books.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bibliomania (n): the condition or state of being a bibliomaniac; an excessive fondness for collecting books.

  • His bibliomania led him to spend his entire inheritance on antique volumes. (The obsessive desire for book collecting.)

• Bibliophile (n): a person who loves or collects books, often used more neutrally than "bibliomaniac".

  • She is a bibliophile who enjoys reading and owning beautiful books. (A book lover, not necessarily obsessive.)

Synonyms

• Book collector: a person who gathers books as a hobby or investment.
• Bibliophile: a lover of books, though less extreme than "bibliomaniac".
• Bookworm: a person who reads voraciously, but not necessarily with a focus on collecting.

Related Idioms

• "a bookish obsession": a phrase describing a deep, sometimes unhealthy, fixation on books.
  • His bookish obsession made him a bibliomaniac, unable to pass a bookstore without buying something. (An intense passion for books.)