How did Richard de Bury defend spending time and money on books in Philobiblon?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

View a tutorial on the safe handling of rare books, manuscripts, and prints by the staff of the Folger Shakespeare Library — book collecting A tutorial from the staff of the Folger Shakespeare Library on the safe handling of rare books, manuscripts, and prints.

In his treatise Philobiblon, the English bishop and bibliophile Richard de Bury provided an eloquent defense of the significant resources dedicated to his hobby.12

He justified the expenditure of time, money, and attention on books by framing them as more than mere commodities; his primary goal was the pursuit of learning and the preservation of knowledge. De Bury argued that books should be valued as the essential physical receptacles of wisdom, making the investment in their acquisition a noble and intellectual endeavor. By treating books as vital vessels for human understanding, he elevated the act of collecting from a simple pastime to a meaningful contribution to the intellectual life of his time.2