The Impact of Books and Bibliophiles

As a dedicated bibliophile (lover of books) it has always fascinated me how certain individuals of like minds in this regard have impacted world history and the course of civilization.

Thomas Jefferson’s personal library at his home Monticello later formed the basis of what became the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world.

Financier J. Pierpont Morgan’s private library adjacent to his palatial home in New York City was monumental in importance and remains so today.

Dr. John Dee, the English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, occult philosopher, imperialist and adviser to Queen Elizabeth I devoted much of his life to the study of alchemy, divination, Hermetic philosophy, and medicine, though he was not a trained physician. One of Tudor England’s most extraordinary and enigmatic figures, Dee claimed to own 3000 printed books and 1000 manuscripts, which he kept at his home in Mortlake, London. It was the largest personal library in Elizabethan England.

Lord Acton was one of the great historians of the Victorian period and one of the greatest classical liberal historians of all time.

The Mary Ferrell Foundation houses the largest collection of items related to the JFK, RFK, MLK assassinations of the 1960s.

The Harold Pratt House, home to the Council on Foreign Relations, contains one of the most important collections of materials related to foreign policy and international affairs.

The House of the Temple in Washington, D.C., serves as the headquarters of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A. (officially, Home of The Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, Washington D.C., U.S.A.) The main library of the Supreme Council houses the renowned Masonic Collection. In this collection you will find any aspect of Freemasonry available, history, philosophy, symbolism, anti-masonry, poetry, lodge proceedings, periodicals, etc. Of particular interest are items and exhibits related to prominent Freemason FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.

See also these fascinating accounts:

The Ashmolean Museum

Top 10 Amazing Libraries

10 of the most incredible home libraries around the world

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9:05 am on October 26, 2021