Gunning for it

Having reached the age of wishing for fewer rather than more possessions, I still covet only one class of material object: antiquarian books of special interest.

To assist me in this irrational pursuit, several booksellers kindly send me their catalogues, which I pore over with fevered pleasure. Why books that were once held by historical figures should be so desirable to me, I leave to psychologists to discover; suffice it to say that recently I wanted desperately an early edition (1766, no place of publication) of Voltaire’s Treatise on Toleration.

I wanted it because it had once belonged to the great French gynaecologist and supporter …