Bedside Companion for Book Lovers

A glorious treasury of literary curiosities for every night of the year.

Bedside Companion for Book Lovers contains an eclectic mix of fact and fiction, letters, diaries, essays and dedications, all suffused with the joys of books and reading. The perfect gift for the bibliophile in your life, it contains snippets from some of the greatest writers and book collectors from throughout history, including:

• Charles Dickens on the smell of books
• Maya Angelou on the pleasures of reading aloud
• Virginia Woolf on finding space for writing
• Nick Hornby on reading for pure enjoyment

and much more. Along the way, you’ll find advice on how to look after your most precious volumes, what to do when books start taking over your home, and where to find the most atmospheric libraries and bookshops around the world. Keep this beautifully illustrated book by your bedside and wander into a magical world of books every night of the year.January: An Illimitable Choice 10

February: Frivolous and Idle Books 46

March: A Stroke of the Pen 78

April: Something Sensational to Read 112

May: Encouraging Early Bookishness 146

June: The Poet and the Dreamer 182

July: I Always Took a Book 216

August: Bibliomania, or Book-madness 252

September: In an Elbow-chair at Ease 288

October: The Art of Bookbinding 324

November: An Abundant Library 358

December: The Craft of Genius 394

Index: 430

Acknowledgements 444‘This would be a much-loved and treasured gift for bookworms! From fact and fiction, to letters and diaries, be greeted by the beauty of the written word’ - Love ReadingJane McMorland Hunter is a passionate lover of the written word who works at Hatchards bookshop when not writing. She has written and edited several books, including Ode to London, Favourite Poems of England, A Nature Poem for Every Day of the Year, Friends: A Poem for Every Day of the Year and A Nature Poem for Every Night of the Year. She lives in London.