The Book Collector (which started publication in 1952) has established itself as the one of the leading authorative journals for those interested in all aspects of bibliophily. Nicolas Barker, The Book Collector's editor for the past 37 years, has produced an anthology taking the best essays printed over the last 50 years and combining them into one book. Many articles deal with particular collectors: J.R. Abbey (A.N.L. Munby and Anthony Hobson), Chester Beatty (Christopher de Hamel), Martin Bodmer (B.H. Breslauer), John Cosin (A.I. Doyle), C.H. Hartshorne and Richard Heber (Arnold Hunt), Philip Hofer (W.A. Jackson), Geoffrey Keynes (David McKitterick), Narcissus Luttell (J.M. Osborn), Solomon Pottesman (Alan Thomas), Richard Rawlinson (B.J. Enright), and Harry Widener (Arthur Freeman). A number of other essays are concerned with particular books, authors, or related topics.
This work also examines notable books, including the first edition of the infamous Fanny Hill, and also portrays the personalities of a number of famous collectors, from Richard Heber and Sir Thomas Phillipps, to Chester Beatty, Martin Bodmer and Philip Hofer.