This Week’s Fun & Fancy Word: Bibliophobia!
This Week’s Fun & Fancy Word Is:
Simply put, bibliophobia is the intense fear or hatred of books.[1] It’s a bonafide anxiety disorder. Phobias might run in your family. Perhaps you have a learning disorder that has become so stressful it has resulted in a fear of books.
Or maybe a book dislodged itself from a bookshelf and landed on your head when you were a toddler – and the trauma is very real.[2] But don’t worry, it’s a treatable condition.
But, bibliophobia can also present as a fear/hatred of the stories books contain. As Jackson Holbrook (who literally wrote the book on bibliophobia) put it:
Some others resent both books and reading, and resentment often turns to hatred, for they are jealous of the quiet, irresistible influence of literature, not knowing when it may disturb their pet ideas or dispel the illusions which they have confused with life.[3]
Does This Sound Familiar?
Holbrook further points out that it’s the motivating factor behind book banning.[4] And we’re seeing this phenomenon play out on a daily basis. Primarily regarding books that have anything to do with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Works written by or about people of color, the LGBTQIA+ community, and survivors of sexual assault are being pulled from school libraries every day. Those dealing with racism or other difficult moments in history are being expunged from public school curriculums.[5]
So, how is bibliophobia overcome? The first step is to identify the beliefs that are driving this fear. Then, test these beliefs against reality. Finally, replace them with more accurate assessments.[6]
In the practical example of the bibliophobe turned book banner, the first step would be to identify a belief like “reading ‘disturbing’ books is harmful to young people.” Then, test that against research like literary scholars Gay Ivey and Peter Johnston conducted. Which revealed quite the opposite.
Students who read so-called “disturbing” books, became more engaged in their education. In many cases, self-regulation improved. And in some situations, family relationships improved.[7]
The final step of course, is to let go of their original misconception (and with it the need to ban “disturbing” books). And to replace it with an understanding of what really happens when young people read “disturbing” books.
Etymology:
Origins of Bibliophobia
Bibliophobia combines the element biblio, from the Greek biblion, meaning “paper, scroll”) with the element phobia, directly from the Greek, meaning “panic fear of.”[8]
The term first appeared in a November 18, 1793 issue of New York’s Daily Advertiser. When an “obscure citizen” addressed France’s ambassador to the U.S., concerned about Vice-consul Anthony Duplaine’s habit of consorting with French privateers in Boston harbor. Duplaine was accused of Bibliophobia because he had refused to familiarize himself with American legal principles—literally, the books.[9]
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Endnotes:
[1] Oxford English Dictionary (3 ed.), Oxford University Press.
“Bibliophobia (fear of books).” Cleveland Clinic.
[2] “Bibliophobia (fear of books).” Cleveland Clinic.
[3] Jackson, Holbrook. The Fear of Books. New York: Charles Scribner and Sons, 1932. Pg 5
[4] Hartmann, Thom. “Political Bibliophobia: Why A Fabricated ‘Moral Panic’ over CRT Transformed Into A Book-Banning Hysteria.” Milwaukee Independent. Feb 14, 2022.
Jackson, Holbrook. The Fear of Books. New York: Charles Scribner and Sons, 1932. Pg 13-18.
[5] “The Explosion of Book Banning and Its Fallout.” ThisBookisBanned.com
[6] “Bibliophobia: Understanding and Overcoming the Fear of Reading.” NeuroLaunch. May 11, 2025.
[7] “What Actually Happens When Young People Read Disturbing Books.” ThisBookisBanned.com
[8] Etymonline.
[9] “High Anxiety: American Bibliophobia.” Past is Present
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