Robert H. Taylor (died, aged 76, on 5 May 1985) was a

bibliophile Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books. Profile The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...

who was president of the

Grolier Club The Grolier Club is a private club and society of bibliophiles in New York City. Founded in January 1884, it is the oldest existing bibliophilic club in North America. The club is named after Jean Grolier de Servières, Viscount d'Aguisy, Tre ...

, the Keats-Shelley Association of America and the

Bibliographical Society of America The Bibliographical Society of America (BSA) is the oldest learned society in North America dedicated to the study of books and manuscripts as physical objects. Established in 1904, the society promotes bibliographical research and issues bibliograp ...

. He donated his collection of 7,000 books, manuscripts and drawings to

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1971. He had graduated from Princeton in 1930. Grandson of businessman and politician

John Emory Andrus John Emory Andrus (February 16, 1841 – December 26, 1934) was mayor of Yonkers, New York, a U.S. Congressman from New York, and founder of the Surdna Foundation, SURDNA Foundation. Biography Born in Pleasantville, New York, Andrus was the son o ...

, Taylor served as director of the

Surdna Foundation The Surdna Foundation was established as a charitable foundation in 1917 by John Emory Andrus to pursue a range of philanthropic purposes. History A devoted family man with nine children, Andrus founded the Julia Dyckman Andrus Memorial in 1928 ...

, a philanthropy established by Andrus in 1917.

Collecting

Taylor's collection was noted for its works by

Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope (; 24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the '' Chronicles of Barsetshire'', which revolves ar ...

and

Richard Brinsley Sheridan Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 17517 July 1816) was an Irish satirist, a politician, a playwright, poet, and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He is known for his plays such as ''The Rivals'', ''The Sc ...

. One important item owned by Taylor was the original manuscript for Sheridan's ''

The School for Scandal ''The School for Scandal'' is a comedy of manners written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on 8 May 1777. Plot Act I Scene I: Lady Sneerwell, a wealthy young widow, and her hireling Sna ...

'' which he acquired via

Barton Currie Barton Wood Currie (March 8, 1877 – May 7, 1962) was an American journalist, author, and book collector. Writer of hundreds of articles and stories for publications such as ''New York Evening World'', ''New York Evening Sun'', ''Harper's Week ...

.Barton Currie: Formidable Book Angler.
Kurt Zimmerman, ''American Book Collecting'', 6 February 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2014. Randall, David A. (1969) ''Dukedom Large Enough''. New York:

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

, p. 77. The collection also includes a number of original manuscripts of

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism ...

.The Robert H. Taylor Collection, Princeton, New Jersey.
John Locke Manuscripts, 5 September 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2014. One of his notable works was translating the Burmese writer,

Thein Pe Myint Thein Pe Myint ( my, သိန်းဖေမြင့် ; also ''Thakin'' Thein Pe ( ); 10 July 1914 – 15 January 1978) was a Burmese politician, writer and journalist. A writer of several politically and socially prominent books and the foun ...

's ''Wartime Traveller'' into English.

References

External links

Robert H. Taylor Collection of English and American Literature 1280-1958 Finding Aid
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Robert H. American book and manuscript collectors Year of birth missing People from Gloucester, Massachusetts Princeton University alumni 1900s births 1985 deaths 20th-century American writers 20th-century American male writers