Philobiblon by Richard De Bury
Distinguished above all for his zeal for learning, Richard de Bury (1287–1345) was an influential figure during the reign of Edward III, becoming bishop of Durham and serving on several diplomatic missions abroad, during which time he accumulated many rare works. The Philobiblon is his passionate treatise on learning and book collecting. Lodging a complaint in the voice of books themselves, Richard expresses his frank views on the current state of learning and scholarly practice. This translation, the first such into English, was prepared anonymously in 1832 by the scholar and linguist John Bellingham Inglis (1780–1870). Unlike other book collectors, Inglis was noted for actually having read the books he acquired. The present work contains a brief preface discussing previous scholarship and editions of the text, and ends with extensive notes by Inglis on the original text and his editorial decisions.
Richard De Bury (1287-1345) was descended from an English knight who fought with William the Conqueror in the 11th Century. De Bury studied at Oxford, became a priest, ultimately rising to be Bishop of Durham, and tutored the future English King Edward III. After Edward III became King in the 1320s, De Bury served Edward's administration in various administrative and diplomatic posts. On a diplomatic visit to the papal court in exile at Avignon in 1330, De Bury met the Italian scholar and poet Petrarch, with whom he shared his devotion to and enthusiasm for books, and who left a brief account of meeting his English counterpart. Wherever he went De Bury assiduously collected manuscripts and bound books, and in time composed his short collection of Latin essays, The Philobiblon, the title having been created by De Bury from the Greek words meaning the love of books. De Bury completed the text in 1344, though of course it was not printed until after the invention of printing in the middle of the following century.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781108061438 |
| ISBN 10 | 1108061435 |
| Title | Philobiblon |
| Author | Richard De Bury |
| Series | Cambridge Library Collection - History Of Printing Publishing And Libraries |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Year published | 2013-08-22 |
| Number of pages | 166 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |