The Book Hunter

A collection of essays published in 1862 by John Hill Burton, a Scottish historian. With humour, the author sketches the book hunters: the collector who buys his first duplicate copy, the browser of second-hand bookstalls, the regular at auction sales, the wandering reader who reads a little of everything. He also describes how great libraries came into being, the work of librarians, and the clubs of enthusiasts that reprint old texts, such as the Roxburghe Club. This edition opens with a biography of the author written by his widow. A learned and good-humoured look at the love of books.