Thomas Phillipps, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetThomas Phillipps
British antiquarian and book collector
Date of Birth: 02-Jul-1792
Place of Birth: Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Date of Death: 06-Feb-1872
Profession: collector
Zodiac Sign: Cancer 
About Thomas Phillipps
- Sir Thomas Phillipps, 1st Baronet (2 July 1792 – 6 February 1872), was an English antiquary and book collector who amassed the largest collection of manuscript material in the 19th century.
- He was an illegitimate son of a textile manufacturer and inherited a substantial estate, which he spent almost entirely on vellum manuscripts and, when out of funds, borrowed heavily to buy manuscripts, thereby putting his family deep into debt.
- Phillipps recorded in an early catalogue that his collection was instigated by reading various accounts of the destruction of valuable manuscripts.
- Such was his devotion that he acquired some 40,000 printed books and 60,000 manuscripts, arguably the largest collection a single individual has created, and coined the term "vello-maniac" to describe his obsession, which is more commonly termed bibliomania.
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