Bibliophilia - book collection for bookworms

In terms such as bibliophile edition or bibliophile book, however, the meaning of collecting now takes a back seat to a concept of bibliophilia that focuses on the special features of the copy. Such bibliophile editions are published by publishers especially for collectors who are prepared to pay a higher price for the special features.

Collectors pay attention to so-called collections or book series as well as to the fate and age of the books. The greatest scholarly value is attached to collections of books that relate to a particular subject or have been worked in a certain manner or printed in a famous print shop.

Colloquially, bibliophiles are also called bookworms, partly because they sometimes hold books so close to their faces that it looks as if they are eating them, just as some nail beetles eat the insides of books, leaving their mark. In literature, this metaphor was first used in 1747 by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing in his comedy play "The Young Scholar".

A well-known film that deals with this phenomenon in a somewhat creepy way is "The Ninth Gate" with Johnny Depp. As a book detective, Johnny Depp is supposed to compare the rare book of his bibliophile client with the only two copies that still exist. But then strange and deadly incidents begin to pile up....