author
Beriah Botfield
1807–1863
Remembered as a passionate book collector as well as a public figure, this 19th-century writer moved easily between politics, scholarship, and the world of rare books. His works reflect a deep curiosity about libraries, early printing, and the literary past.
1 Audiobook
Notes on the cathedral libraries of England
by Beriah Botfield
About the author
Born in 1807, Beriah Botfield was a British politician, bibliographer, and antiquary with a lasting reputation among book historians. He served as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Ludlow, but he was also known for his serious interest in libraries, manuscripts, and early printed books.
Botfield wrote and privately printed works on subjects such as cathedral libraries, books printed on vellum, and the first editions of classical authors. He also built an important library and was active in learned societies, reflecting the broad intellectual interests that shaped much of his writing.
He died in 1863. For readers drawn to the history of books and collecting, Botfield stands out as one of those Victorian figures whose love of scholarship was closely tied to the physical life of books themselves.