Cover of The Love of Books

The Love of Books

by Richard de Bury

Reading level
Fairly demanding
Price
Free

About the book

"The Love of Books: The Philobiblon of Richard de Bury" by Richard de Bury is a collection of essays written in 1345. This medieval treatise explores the acquisition, preservation, and organization of books through twenty chapters. Written in Latin by an English bibliophile, it aims to encourage learning, justify the author's devotion to books, and provide practical library management advice. The work contains innovations in circulation control and references the Bible extensively, becoming one of the longest medieval texts on its subject.

  • Book collecting
  • Manuscripts, Medieval

Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #626. The Love of Books on Wikipedia.