After making a fortune in the railroading industry, Henry Huntington set out to build a rare book and manuscript library. He succeeded in gathering his unequalled collections over a period of only fifteen years, a result not only of personal determination and almost unlimited means but of fortunate timing. In 1911, as he began to develop a serious interest in rare books, important private collections came on the market. In that year, Huntington acquired the most important rarities from the Elihu D Church and Robert hoe collections. When other libraries became available subsequently, he responded decisively with en bloc purchases, and the 'library of libraries' was born. Between 1911 and the time of his death in 1927, Huntington dominated the book markets of New York and London. This book recounts the story of these tumultuous years in the book trade.