The madman's library: the strangest books, manuscripts and other literary curiosities from history

Abstract

This is a madman's library of eccentric and extraordinary volumes from around the world, many of which have been completely forgotten. Books written in blood and books that kill, books of the insane and books that hoaxed the globe, books invisible to the naked eye and books so long they could destroy the Universe, books worn into battle, books of code and cypher whose secrets remain undiscovered ... and a few others that are just plain weird. From the 605-page Qur'an written in the blood of Saddam Hussein, through the gorgeously decorated 15th-century lawsuit filed by the Devil against Jesus, to the lost art of binding books with human skin, every strand of strangeness imaginable (and many inconceivable) has been unearthed and bound together for a unique and richly illustrated collection ideal for every book-lover.

Contents

Introduction -- Books that aren't books -- Books made of flesh and blood -- Cryptic books -- Literary hoaxes -- Curious collections -- Works of the supernatural -- Religious oddities -- Curiosities of science -- Books of spectacular size -- Strange titles -- Select bibliography -- Index -- Acknowledgements -- Picture credits.