Pirie, Robert S., Mrs.

Robert S. Pirie graduated from Harvard College and Harvard University Law School. As an undergraduate, he was attracted to bibliographical work in Elizabethan authors and began to collect actively while on service with the United States Army in the late 1950s. In 1963 portions of his collection were exhibited at the Grolier Club (a New York City bibliophile organization) where he was an active member. In 1972 Pirie compiled for the Grolier Club John Donne, 1572-1631: a catalogue of the anniversary exhibition of first and early editions. Many of the items in this exhibition were from his own collection, and he was acknowledged by Donne bibliographer Sir Geoffrey Keynes as a premier collector of original editions of Donne.

During the 1960s and early 1970s Pirie was associated with law firms in Boston; he later practiced in New York City and then served in turn as Co-Chairman and CEO of Rothschild North America; Senior Managing Director of Bear, Stearns ? and Vice-Chairman of Investment Banking at SG Cowen Securities Corporation. He is now associated with the French bank Societ́é Geneŕale.