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The Annotated Edition

THE BIBLIOMANIAC'S PRAYER by Eugene Field

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

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A book-obsessed collector asks God for the strength to stop buying more books — then promptly requests a truly amazing one anyway.

Poet
Eugene Field
Themes
art, beauty, faith
The PoemFull text

THE BIBLIOMANIAC'S PRAYER

Eugene Field

Keep me, I pray, in wisdom's way That I may truths eternal seek; I need protecting care to-day,-- My purse is light, my flesh is weak. So banish from my erring heart All baleful appetites and hints Of Satan's fascinating art, Of first editions, and of prints. Direct me in some godly walk Which leads away from bookish strife, That I with pious deed and talk May extra-illustrate my life. But if, O Lord, it pleaseth Thee To keep me in temptation's way, I humbly ask that I may be Most notably beset to-day; Let my temptation be a book, Which I shall purchase, hold, and keep, Whereon when other men shall look, They'll wail to know I got it cheap. Oh, let it such a volume be As in rare copperplates abounds, Large paper, clean, and fair to see, Uncut, unique, unknown to Lowndes.

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

A book-obsessed collector asks God for the strength to stop buying more books — then promptly requests a truly amazing one anyway. The poem humorously captures this contradiction: the speaker recognizes that his obsession is a bit absurd, yet he enjoys it too much to really quit. It's a lighthearted, self-aware chuckle at how collectors can elevate their passion to a nearly sacred level.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Keep me, I pray, in wisdom's way / That I may truths eternal seek;

    Editor's note

    The speaker starts off like a devoted churchgoer seeking divine moral guidance. The phrasing echoes that of a classic prayer — "wisdom's way," "truths eternal" — which sets up the humor beautifully. By the end of the stanza, we discover that his true vice isn't alcohol or gambling but books: "first editions, and of prints." The admission that his "purse is light" and his "flesh is weak" takes a well-known biblical saying about human frailty and amusingly applies it to his love of collecting books.

  2. But if, O Lord, it pleaseth Thee / To keep me in temptation's way,

    Editor's note

    Here, the poem shifts from a false sense of regret to a joyful acceptance. The speaker drops the act and invites God to send temptation after all — namely, a rare book he can snag at a bargain while other collectors look on with envy. "Large paper, clean, and fair to see, / Uncut, unique, unknown to Lowndes" delivers the punchline: William Thomas Lowndes wrote *The Bibliographer's Manual of English Literature*, the go-to reference for book collectors of that time. A book missing from Lowndes' list would be an exceptional find. The prayer concludes not with devotion but with the collector's ultimate dream.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

Playful and self-mocking throughout, Field adopts the formal, reverent tone of a church prayer — using iambic tetrameter and rhyming quatrains — while humorously exploring the undignified obsessions of a book collector. The humor is gentle, not harsh; the speaker isn’t ashamed of his passion, just amused by his inability to resist it. There’s a genuine warmth, the kind that emerges from laughing at oneself.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The prayer form
By presenting the poem as an actual prayer, Field transforms book-collecting into a spiritual challenge. This structure suggests that for a genuine bibliomaniac, the longing for rare books is just as significant as any moral temptation — like lust, greed, or pride. The humor lands effectively because the form is so earnest.
First editions and prints
These represent all worldly temptations. While a traditional prayer might mention wine, gambling, or vanity, the speaker in Field's poem highlights the specific treasures that a Victorian book collector would desire. They act as his personal sins—irresistible, a bit shameful, and profoundly cherished.
The uncut, unknown-to-Lowndes volume
An "uncut" book (with pages that have never been trimmed or opened) signifies a pristine, untouched copy — the holy grail for collectors. A book missing from Lowndes's authoritative bibliography would be a find that no one else has recorded. Together, they embody the collector's ultimate prize: something rare, perfect, and uniquely theirs.
Light purse / weak flesh
The phrase reflects the New Testament warning that "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." Field uses it to express that his wallet is just as unreliable as his willpower — both tend to fail him when a good book comes along. It connects the collector's financial recklessness to a common human flaw.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Eugene Field was a newspaper columnist and poet in Chicago who gained popularity in the 1880s and 1890s for his light verse, children's poems, and clever observations on everyday life. He was also a true and passionate book collector—this was no mere act. "The Bibliomaniac's Prayer" expresses that obsession directly. During the Victorian era, book collecting was a serious pastime for educated men, complete with its own reference materials (notably Lowndes's *Bibliographer's Manual*), specialized terminology ("large paper" editions, "copperplates," "uncut" copies), and a culture of competitive acquisition. Field's poem provides an insider's view of that world, written by someone who understood the feeling of walking past a bookstore with an empty wallet and a longing gaze. It was included in his 1889 collection *A Little Book of Western Verse*.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

A book collector wishes for the willpower to stop buying books, then quickly prays for a really rare one at a great price. It's a comic poem that captures how a passion can feel like an addiction — you know you should quit, but deep down, you don't really want to.

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