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The Love of Books: The Philobiblon of Richard de Bury

by Richard de Bury

A Bishop of Durham, finished in 1345, explains why he spent so much on books and asks his readers to wash their hands before touching them. He complains of scholars who eat over the page. It is one of the first books written in praise of books.

The librarian

Read it in the Library After Dark Or read it as plain text

Reading time

About 1 hr 40 min

Where to find it

On the Archive shelves

Edition

Project Gutenberg, eBook #626. In the public domain in the United States.