Bibliomaniac cover art

Bibliomaniac

An Obsessive's Tour of the Bookshops of Britain

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Bibliomaniac

By: Robin Ince
Narrated by: Robin Ince
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About this listen

'A unique, funny picture of Britain... A love letter to bookshops and the vagaries of public transport.' Richard Osman

Why play to 12,000 people when you can play to 12? In Autumn 2021, Robin Ince's stadium tour with Professor Brian Cox was postponed due to the pandemic. Rather than do nothing, he decided instead to go on a tour of over a hundred bookshops in the UK, from Wigtown to Penzance; from Swansea to Margate. Packed with witty anecdotes and tall tales, Bibliomaniac takes the listener on a journey across Britain as Robin explores his lifelong love of bookshops and books—and also tries to find out just why he can never have enough of them. It is the story of an addiction and a romance, and also of an occasional points failure just outside Oxenholme.

©2022 Robin Ince (P)2022 W. F. Howes Ltd Entertainment & Celebrities Celebrity Funny Witty

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Most relevant  
Thank you to Robin Ince for both writing …and then reading, this lovely book …on books. Listening to Robin read his book was like wearing a warm and snuggly jumper on a very cold day. Robin is great company while out on a walk and I feel a little sad that it’s now ended. Thank goodness for the new series of The Infinite Monkey Cage! ;-)

Warm and friendly…

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Very jealous of Robin, to wander through these enchanted bookshops with him is a delight.

Excellent

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Red Lion Books has not been in Red Lion Walk for many years, it has been in High Street Colchester so certainly not where Robin says just after the Pandemic. The room in the Church with the stained glass in Wivenhoe was not actually built at the time the Red Lion Bookshop was where he said it was. Maybe time travel is real after all. I was hoping to use the book as a guide to bookshops but if this is how different times and locations are conflated I am not sure it would work in that way. Shame , it would have been fun.

Not entirely Truthful but fun none the less.

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I really like Robin Ince and could (and have) listen to him waffle on about anything. His ability to remember things and then relate them back with such enthusiasm and wonder makes any subject incredibly interesting. So the fact this book is about books and bookshops meant that I knew I was going to love this before I started.
The basic premise is that Robin's arena tour with Professor Brian Cox got postponed due to the pandemic, so Robin did a tour of bookshops instead! The plan was 100.
This book is a wonderful journey around the UK with so many recommendations of fantastic bookshops and books that I'm already looking forward to rereading this in physical form with a highlighter and post-its!

Books and bookshops, what's not to love?

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anyone who loves books, loves book shops, and buys too many books they don't read this is for you.

just sublime

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On a personal level Robin has become a cultural beacon for me in showing his empathy and tireless, enthusiastic energy. This book shows his passion for what books can do on a physical level. It was both cosy with cake and drinks but also fascinating with his infinite tangents, quotes and conversations with people in bookshops who think he works there. I hope he has his own chaotic, shambolic bookshop one day.

Protect Robin Ince at all costs

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Great story, and journey through your tour. It was a great way to get to know you and your fascination with books, reading, words, life, and many other aspects of you. 😊😊😊. Highly recommended

Intensely fascinating and wonderfully quirky book

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This book isn't about books. It's about people, interaction, stories, journeys, worlds large and small, epic and domestic. It's deeply human, very charming, forensically insightful on the human condition. It's beautiful.

Once at his best.

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A beautiful use of time. Robin Ince is fascinating, funny, warm, humane and slightly obsessed.

A love letter to bookshops and people

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I really enjoyed listening to this audible book. It enabled me to revisit in my mind’s eye some of the bookshops that I have visited and also create a to do list of those I haven’t.
If Robin ever contemplates undertaking another such tour there are several towns and bookshops I could guide him towards, not least The Old Hall Bookshop in Brackley, thriving and staffed by friendly and knowledgeable readers.

Blissful armchair book shop tour

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