Richard Heber was a landowner, traveler, and for five years member of Parliament for Oxford University, but he is best remembered for his phenomenal book collection. John Ferriar addressed "The Bibliomania," his 1809 poem, to Heber, and perhaps more than anyone Heber merited the title of "Bibliomaniac." His modest list of publications belies the influence that he had on the development of interest in the history of English literature through his preservation of early English literary works and his support of and friendship with other scholars.

The Heber family owned property in Yorkshire and Shropshire. His father, Reginald Heber, inherited the Shropshire property of Hodnet from his brother, Richard, in 1766, while Richard's widow retained a life interest in the Marton estate in Yorkshire. In 1770 Reginald, who had published some poetry in the 1760s, became rector for the Upper Mediety of Malpas, Cheshire, a few miles from his Hodnet property...