Nicholas A. Basbanes, called "the leading authority on books about books" by Pulitzer Prize-winner David McCullough, has explored Western book culture as a journalist for twenty years. Editions and Collections brings together for the first time in book form more than thirty of his essays exploring the world of the book. Basbanes travels to Iraq and reports on a nascent library started by U.S. soldiers. He attends a high-stakes auction on behalf of a friend and places bids that exceed his annual salary, and he offers insightful profiles of collectors, librarians, authors, and scholars. This is Basbanes at his best.