Portrait of an Obsession: The Life of the World's Greatest Book Collector

The life, trials and tribulations of the world's greatest book collector (or perhaps I should say the trials and tribulations of anyone who ever came in contact with the world's greatest book collector). Sir Thomas Phillipps was definitely not an easy man to get along with, but his contributions to the world of the book are important. Munby's biography (as adapted by Barker) is a fabulous treatment of this man, who can best (and probably most charitably) be described as a "character."

An excellent read. I collect books by and about J. O. Halliwell-Phillipps and wanted to read this bio about the father-in-law who hated him so much. Nicolas Barker does a good job in reducing A.N.L. Munby's five-volume work on Sir Thomas Phillipps and his collections into one readable volume. I came away understanding why Phillipps hated his son-in-law so much, and why he is considered the world's greatest bibliomaniac. Previously I thought books were his passion – he wanted a copy of "every book published," – but it was manuscripts that were his primary passion. And his family suffered for his passion. Sir Thomas Phillipps was not a very nice man.