The Madman's Guide to Stamp Collecting - Paperback

$17.95

The Madman's Guide to Stamp Collecting - Paperback

Name: The Madman's Guide to Stamp Collecting - Paperback
Brand: BooksCloud
SKU: 9781805337768
Price: 17.95 USD
Availability: InStock

by Robert Irwin

$17.95

Book Overview

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by Robert Irwin (Author)

A fascinating, one-of-a-kind journey through the obsessive world of collecting (and stamps) by maverick historian and cult writer Robert Irwin.

"[A] delightful mishmash of quotations, digressions, obscure facts, arcane anecdotes and playful romps." -- Literary Review

Why do we collect? Is it to rescue objects from oblivion? Is it a kind of desire--or even a kind of madness?

Robert Irwin--novelist, historian, translator, collector--was a true original; a virtuoso thinker who combined encyclopaedic knowledge with boundless curiosity. In this 'mosaic of fiction, philosophy, sociology, biography and autobiography' he takes us on a wayward journey through the art of collecting, and his own intellectual passions.

Drawing on a treasure-trove of literary references from writers including Susan Sontag, Walter Benjamin, Iris Murdoch and Georges Perec, as well as a host of lesser-known geniuses, flaneurs, obsessives and eccentrics, Irwin explores everything from mysticism to nostalgia, psychology to propaganda, classical antiquity to surrealism, dreams to death. We join Thomas De Quincey on a night mail coach, encounter the man who set out to acquire every stamp ever issued, enter the shadowlands of long-vanished kingdoms and the badlands of fakes and forgeries, all in the company of a uniquely brilliant mind.

This is a one-of-a-kind book of wonders; of labyrinthine digressions, good humour and a 'delight in small things'. It is a satisfying and unforgettable meditation on the stuff of life.

Author Biography

Robert Irwin (1946-2024) was a novelist, publisher, reviewer, Arabist and historian. He was a fellow of The Royal Society of Literature and the author of ten novels, including The Arabian Nightmare, Satan Wants Me and Tom's Version, as well as many works of non-fiction including The Arabian Nights: A Companion and Memoirs of a Dervish.

Number of Pages: 240

Dimensions: 0.74 x 7.79 x 5.16 IN

Publication Date: June 02, 2026

ISBN	9781805337768
Author	Robert Irwin
Publisher	Pushkin Press
Genre	Biography and Arts
Format	Paperback
Published	June 2026
Language	ENG- English
Pages	240
Weight	1.0 lb
Target Audience	Adults
Print Size	Standard Print