Although Thomas Baker published little, he was an important figure in the world of historical and antiquarian learning in the first forty years of the eighteenth century. Operating behind the scenes, he played a central role in the scholarly milieu of his day. A bibliophile, book collector, bibliographer, and historical and antiquarian scholar, he was valued by many friends and acquaintances, from the Tory bishop and wit Francis Atterbury and the leading Whig bishop Gilbert Burnet to Archbishop William Wake and the antiquary Humfrey Wanley. The collection of printed books, manuscripts, and transcripts that he amassed during the course of about half a century was large and remarkable by the standards of his time. Many of the printed books and most of the manuscripts and transcripts have been preserved. The material he collected bears witness to the scholarship and piety--the two are clearly connected--of this quiet and unassuming...