One of Victorian England's most notable collectors of books, Richard Monckton Milnes (Lord Houghton) built a large and distinguished private library--known particularly for its collections of erotica and autograph manuscripts--at his Yorkshire estate, Fryston Hall. He was instrumental in the founding of the London Library, of which he also served as president, and was a cofounder of the Philobiblon Society. A mediocre poet himself, he played a major role in rescuing John Keats's reputation from oblivion by writing the first biography of the great Romantic poet. Moreover, Milnes was a statesman, serving in Parliament throughout his adult life. A friend of many of the most celebrated men and women of the Victorian Age, he frequently entertained the social lions, politicians, and intelligentsia of the nation at his famous breakfasts in his London home at 16 Upper Brook Street and during his weekends at Fryston Hall.

Milnes was born on...