Muir, Percy H. (Percy Horace), 1894-1979

Born in London on December 17, 1894, Percy Muir began his career as a bookseller in 1920. He joined the London antiquarian booksellers Elkin Mathews in 1930, and would remain with that firm until his death in Norfolk on November 24, 1979. Muir was an influential figure among booksellers and book collectors around the world. As president of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association in Britain from 1945-1947, Muir chaired the first conference of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) in 1947. He then served as president of the ILAB from 1950 until 1952. At the end of his term in this office, he was elected Life President of Honor. Muir's publications include several bibliographies and contributions to bibliographical journals such as The Library. He composed numerous letters, essays, and addresses on book collecting, including the immensely popular Book collecting as a hobby : letters to Everyman (1944) and its sequel in 1949. Muir was a founding member of the Editorial Board of Book Collectors and wrote many reviews for this journal. His Minding my own business (1956) was both a history of the firm Elkin Mathews and an autobiographical account of Muir's career from the early 1920s to World War II.

From the description of Papers, 1919-1970. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 40722009

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