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

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A true languages buff, he delights in his own incomprehension, finding individuality and invention in geeky translations of the Kinder egg message into Cornish, Klingon and ancient Sumerian, and musing on topics from linguistic evolution to endangered tongues.

Bibliomaniac, by Robin Ince - The Scotsman Book reviews: Bibliomaniac, by Robin Ince - The Scotsman

Books are not merely my escape, but an opportunity to explore the world - my chance to get the voices from the page to drown the voices in my head; the place to live in other people's dreamscapes. I laughed out loud quite a bit reading this and related to Robin's anxieties, love of cake and eccentricities.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. Comedian Robin Ince quickly abandoned science at school, bored by a fog of dull lessons and intimidated by the barrage of equations. The Times Literary Supplement described Bibliomaniac as ‘joyous, irreverent – liberating and life-affirming’ while Eric Idle said ‘one of the most delightful books I have ever read… always making me laugh’. Then, in First Blossoming, Chobi’s friend, Mimi, also a cat, is adopted by an art student who’s struggling to find her way. The popular comedian and science presenter Robin Ince blends memoir, wit, and popular science to examine the human condition.

Robin Ince lands Radio 4 stand-up show - British Comedy Guide Robin Ince lands Radio 4 stand-up show - British Comedy Guide

A ninety-two-year-old book-lover whose eyesight meant she relied on talking books decided she should hear Fifty Shades of Grey. 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. Ince braves the mean streets of Cardiff, the back stacks of Canterbury (reciting naughty Chaucerian bits), and of course Hay-on-Wye, about which he concludes, “there are too many books….This is an engaging read which reveals a real passion for books and his relationship with them, but also something of the people who also love them, some sufficiently passionate to realise their dreams in opening a place to encourage others to discover the joy of reading. How to Build a Universe is an illuminating and inspirational celebration of science – sometimes silly, sometimes astounding and very occasionally facetious.

Robin Ince: Bibliomaniac - The Joy of Reading - Eventbrite Robin Ince: Bibliomaniac - The Joy of Reading - Eventbrite

But, twenty years later, he fell in love and he now presents one of the world’s most popular science podcasts. It is the story of an addiction and romance, published October 10th by Atlantic Books, who previously put out I'm A Joke and his 2021 appreciation of the wonders of science, The Importance of Being Interested: Adventures in Scientific Curiosity.Nonetheless, the book appealed to me in rather a similar way to those books like Horror Movies - it took me back to my youth when I used to really like working through titles that were probably more strictly reference books (I've even been known to read a Pevsner end to end). Robin Ince has been in my peripheral vision for sometime but this is the first book by him I have read, unsurprisingly because I am bit of a bibliomaniac myself, though not with the almost endless curiosity and range of reading experiences that Ince gives himself.