"The text of this extraordinarily scholarly volume about the library is also extremely readable, and superbly balanced with a rich array of outstanding illustrations. In ten chapters Angela Delaforce has explored in meticulous and fascinating detail, from a multitude of diverse sources, the building and formation of the Royal Library in the Paço da Ribeira by the remarkable bibliophile, the Brançaga King João V of Portugal (1706-50). . . . This is an indispensable and rich source of study for knowledge of so many aspects of 18th-century Portugal."

Art Newspaper

"Painstakingly researched and lavishly illustrated, Delaforce’s Lost Library reconstructs both the royal library and the political and intellectual cultures that shaped the king’s vision of book collection."

Journal 18: a journal of eighteenth-century art and culture

"This is an enticing and important book. . . . Beautifully organised and sumptuously designed, it casts new light on the contextual and circumstantial evidence for a great library overwhelmed by the forces of nature."

Burlington Magazine

"The disinterested spirit of inquiry that marks the Enlightenment at its best, a spirit that is also brought vividly to life in this well-constructed and beautifully written book."

Journal of the History of Collections

"An outstanding piece of archival research which ingeniously rescues a brilliant collection from oblivion."

Library & Information History