The English Rothschilds were not such ardent bibliophiles as some of their continental relations, but their collections, bound in characteristic armigerous bindings, reflect the progress of scientific and artistic scholarship during the period. They contain both individual rarities valued for their own sake and collections of scientific, literary, and art historical works that show the perspicacity of their collector. Through alliance and inheritance some of the collections of the French and Austrian members of the family came into the cosmopolitan libraries of the English Rothschilds. And as the family fortunes grew, the third and fourth generations of Rothschilds built up libraries around their scholarly interests.

The Rothschild family accumulated one of the largest fortunes in nineteenth-century Europe. Their power came from the family banking firm, which was under the direct control of Rothschilds in Germany, France, Austria, Italy, and Britain. Through this network the Rothschilds exercised considerable influence...