author
Arthur Lee Humphreys
1865–1946
A lively guide for book lovers and a careful recorder of local history, this English writer had a special gift for turning bibliographic subjects into readable, companionable prose. His best-known work invites readers into the pleasures and practicalities of building a private library.
1 Audiobook
The Private Library What We Do Know, What We Don't Know, What We Ought to Know About Our Books
by Arthur Lee Humphreys
About the author
Born in 1865 and died in 1946, Arthur Lee Humphreys was an English bookseller and local historian. Records of his work show a wide range of interests, from book collecting and bookselling history to Somerset local history and compilations of older literary curiosities.
His best-known book, The Private Library, reflects his warm interest in the world of books as lived objects: collected, arranged, admired, and used. He also wrote Piccadilly Bookmen: Memorials of the House of Hatchard and Somersetshire Parishes, which suggests a career shaped both by literary culture in London and by close attention to place, record, and tradition.
Humphreys is the kind of author who appeals to readers who enjoy the byways of literary life: old bookshops, private collections, county histories, and the small details that preserve a world. Even when he is dealing with reference material, his subjects carry the charm of someone who clearly loved books and the history around them.