In the spring of 2025 I was asked by my old friend John Russell Taylor to help with the sale of his legendary library. I had known John for most of my life, and it was important to me that his achievements as a collector should be properly commemorated, and that in keeping with his generous, outward-looking character, the collection should be shared with the widest possible audience of fellow book-lovers.

With John's encouragement, and that of his partner, the artist Ying Yeung Li, I set about developing a dedicated online bookselling platform, which seemed to us the best way forward; and although John sadly died just a few months later, the project continued, with the first 5,000 books now released as the first in a rolling series of sales.

John's library was his most treasured possession, reflecting his lifelong love of art and literature and his fifty-year career as one of the leading critics and authors of his day. My hope is that this inaugural sale, and those that follow, will stand as a fitting tribute to his memory.

Joseph Friedman,
Founder of The Private Library Book Company and Joseph Friedman Ltd

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