Together, Robert Harley, first Earl of Oxford, and his son Edward Harley, second Earl of Oxford, assembled an enormously significant collection of books and manuscripts. After the death of the second earl, the printed collection, including some 50,000 books and 350,000 pamphlets, was sold to the bookseller Thomas Osborne and through him scattered throughout the world; fortunately, the manuscripts were sold en masse to the British Museum, where they form a crucial part of its holdings. Although the two Harleys were often the inspiration for the writing of others, they were not important writers for publication. Various pamphlets of the time were attributed to the Harleys, especially Robert, usually without much reason.

Born in London on 5 December 1661, Robert Harley was the eldest son of Sir Edward Harley and his wife, Abigail. Privately educated, he was admitted as a member of the Inner Temple in 1682 though he was never called to...