Hans Peter Kraus was one of the preeminent twentieth-century dealers in rare manuscripts and early printed books. Once, when a journalist told him he was the greatest bookseller in the United States, Kraus retorted "in the world." His boast was not without foundation. In fact, the Western world was very much Kraus's province, the great auction houses his preferred stages. During an antiquarian book career that spanned nearly sixty years and two continents, Kraus bought, sold, or discovered many of the most celebrated illuminated manuscripts and early printed books handled by any dealer in the post-World War II period. He was a passionate collector in his chosen areas as well as a farseeing entrepreneur who established highly successful and important periodical and reprint enterprises. His competitive spirit and financial resources were forces to be reckoned with in the antiquarian book trade. In the introduction to Kraus's autobiography, A...