author
Richard de Bury
1287–1345
A medieval bishop, royal official, and passionate lover of books, he is remembered above all for celebrating reading itself in one of the best-known works on book collecting. His life moved between church, court, and scholarship, leaving behind a reputation as one of England's earliest great bibliophiles.
1 Audiobook
The Love of Books: The Philobiblon of Richard de Bury
by Richard de Bury
About the author
Born near Bury St Edmunds in 1287, Richard de Bury—also known as Richard Aungerville—studied at Oxford and rose to prominence in both church and royal service. He became a tutor to the future Edward III, later served as bishop of Durham, and also worked as a diplomat and administrator.
He is best known today for the Philobiblon, completed in 1345, a lively defense of learning and the love of books. The work helped secure his lasting fame as a scholar and collector, and he is often remembered as one of the first notable English bibliophiles.
Although he held high office, what stands out most is his enthusiasm for books: seeking them out, preserving them, and treating them as treasures worth sharing with serious readers. He died in 1345, but his name still turns up wherever the history of libraries, reading, and book collecting is told.