author
Thomas C. (Thomas Cooke) Middleton
1842–1923
A Quaker-born Pennsylvanian who became an Augustinian priest, he paired religious life with a deep interest in books, history, and the Philippines. His best-known work brings together early sources on Philippine printing and bibliography with a careful scholar’s eye.
1 Audiobook
Some notes on the bibliography of the Philippines
by Thomas C. (Thomas Cooke) Middleton
About the author
Born in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, on March 30, 1842, he entered the Augustinian order after converting to Catholicism as a boy and was ordained in the 1860s. Sources from the Augustinians, Villanova’s archives, and Wikipedia describe him as a priest, educator, and writer who remained active in Catholic intellectual life into the early 20th century.
He is especially remembered for Some Notes on the Bibliography of the Philippines (1900), a work valued for its detailed attention to early books, printing, and scholarship related to the Philippines. Project Gutenberg and the Internet Archive both preserve this book, which shows the range of his interests beyond strictly devotional writing.
Middleton was also involved in historical and learned societies, including the American Catholic Historical Society. He died on November 19, 1923, leaving behind a body of work shaped by faith, research, and a lasting curiosity about history and print culture.