Samuel Leigh Sotheby
1805–1861 (age 56)
Biography
Samuel Leigh Sotheby (1805-1861) carried on his family's auction business while distinguishing himself as a bibliographer, producing careful catalogs that made rare books and manuscripts accessible to collectors and scholars.
He promoted the study of bindings and early printing, and his patient scholarship helped preserve the contents of great libraries for future generations; he now rests at Brompton Cemetery.