HILIP R. BISHOP (b. 1951) is co-author of Thomas Bird Mosher & the Art of the Book, and his articles have appeared in BIBLIO magazine and elsewhere. This independent scholar has made Mosher both his collecting and research passions. In July of 1998 he finished the new Mosher bibliography, Thomas Bird Mosher-Pirate Prince of Publishers co-published by The British Library and Oak Knoll Press. The more humorous side to some of his bibliographical toils was captured in " A Rosary of Limericks for PRB, but a more sobering side appears in his tribute to Dick Fredeman, a dear departed friend who wrote the Introduction to the new Mosher bibliography.

The author has been a rare books specialist since 1988, after leaving his fourteen-year career as an administrator at Millersville University to work in the rare book trade. He owns and operates the firm, Mosher Books, which is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) and of the International League of Antiquarian Book-sellers (ILAB). He is a member of various library "friends" groups, including The Folger Shakespeare Library, and is also a member of The William Morris Society.

Bishop holds a bachelor's degree from Millersville University, and has pursued advanced master's studies in philosophy at Villanova University. He is the father of two grown and married children, Benjamin and Melissa, grandfather to Sophia Regina Zane, and currently resides, with his wife, Susann, and their feline friends, Miss Tess, Toby, Sasha, and Sabrina in Ephrata, Pennsylvania.

Any information on, or questions about, Thomas Bird Mosher or The Mosher Books may be directed to Philip R. Bishop.

Bishop, Philip R. "The Lost Galleon Found" In the Delaware Bibliophiles' Endpapers. March 2008, pp. 18-20. Details the process whereby a book customer's gift, Mosher's note laden copy of Bret Hart's The Lost Galleon and Other Tales (San Francisco, 1867), lead to the decision to research and write the biography of Thomas Bird Mosher.

(Bishop, Philip R., subject) Greene, Jo-Ann (books editor). "Following his bibliobliss: Collector scores book that 'starred' in film." In "Perspectives" section of the Lancaster Sunday News. December 23, 2007, p. P4.

Bishop, Philip R. "A Collection within a Collection" and "Source Texts from a Publisher" In the Delaware Bibliophiles' Endpapers. September 2007, pp. 7-10 and 21-22 respectively. "A Collection within a Collection" singles out one sub-collection from among ten such inner collections. In this case it's Mosher books printed on real vellum and how close the collector is to equaling if not surpassing the Norman Stores collection in this area. The "Source Texts from a Publisher" is concerned with the newly acquired biography of James Thomson, H.S. Salt's The Life of James Thomson ("B.V."), which contains numerous notations by Mosher and displays his editorial marks for The Bibelot and how this book related to a letter from Mosher in the collection.

---, "This Business of Collecting" and "A Pre- Post-Mortum Addition to a Book Collection" In the Delaware Bibliophiles' Endpapers. Special issue entitled "An Anthology of Articles from Endpapers 1994-2002," Spring 2007, pp. 21-22 and 37-38. The editor notes: "This anthology was assembled in the spring of 2007 as part of our celebration of the 30th anniversary of our club. This will give newer members an overview of some of the articles we have published in the past... In selecting articles we sought, where possible to have ones that dealt with the adventures or discoveries made as a book collector..." There is a total of thirty-three authors selected covering forty-one contributions.

---, "When a List begins to Dwindle--Memento Mori" In Delaware Bibliophiles' Endpapers, March 2007, pp. 7-10. This essays deals with the acquisition of select books from a fellow Mosher collector's library, the affect on Bishop's Wants List, and how this process leads to thoughts toward the one's own final years/months/days of collecting, however many or few they may be.

---, "Taking Stock." In Delaware Bibliophiles' Endpapers, September 2006, pp. 19-20. A brief overview of numerous purchases including association copies of the Mosher Books, the acquisition of a couple extra-illuminated Mosher books, and a brief overview of an archive of Mosher correspondence to publisher bookseller Charles S. Pratt.

---, "Once and Twice Missed." In Delaware Bibliophiles-Endpapers, March 2006, pp. 9-14."

---, "The French Connection: Thoughts from a Pandit in Switzerland," "Lights, Action, Camera," "More Primary Sources & Bibliopegic Delights" and "The Burden of a Large Collection." In Delaware Bibliophiles-Endpapers, September 2005, pp. 7-14, 23-28, 34-36, and 39 respectively. "The French Connection..." deals with Bishop's long-distance friendship with Richard McErlean and how this lead to a "book find" through the internationally known book scout, Martin Stone of Paris. The second essay covers the steps taken to secure the actual Mosher book used in an upcoming movie directed by Isabel Coixet entitled "The Secret Life of Words" starring Tim Robbins. The third is a brief rundown on some new acquisitions for Bishop's Mosher collection including an inscribed Mosher book by Hilaire Belloc, and several fine bindings on Mosher books (Hatchards, Battershall, etc.). The last brief one-page essay touches upon how the riches of association copies precluded buying a non-association copy of the same book.

---, " At the Opening of the Club Bindery Exhibition," "A Thanksgiving Cornucopia Spilling Over into December," "A Long Overdue Trip to Portland" and "From My Hands to Yours: Uncovering the Tynan-Wyndham Connection." In Delaware Bibliophiles-Endpapers, March 2005, pp. 2-4, 9-15, 23-26, and 31-33 respectively. The first essay covers Bishop's personal reflections while attending the Club Bindery Exhibition including the four entries in which he had some involvement, and with some discussion on the Mosher books and fellow attendees at the exhibit. The second essay covers a wide range of items vigorously sought and purchased for the Mosher collection. The essay on the Portland details some of the purchases made while visiting some favorite haunts in Mosher's hometown area. Lastly, the essay on Tynan & Wyndham reveals a loving connection between two literary types who exchanged somewhat intimate correspondence but who regrettably never met.

---, "Thomas Bird Mosher (Fine and Beautiful Books)" in Warren G. Bennice, ed. Dominant's Encyclopedia of Movers & Shakers--Social & Cultural Celebrities. Vol. 2. New Delhi, India: Dominant Publisher and Distributors, 2004, pp. 324-327. Unattributed article taken without permission from the Mosher Press website.

---, "Unexpected Kindnesses," "The Mosher Bookplate," "A Little Celebration" and "More Kindnesses Remembered - An Addendum." In Delaware Bibliophiles-Endpapers, September 2004, pp. 3-8, 13-15, 20-21, and 23-26 respectively. The first essays deals with the kind things some individuals have done to support the Mosher collection assembled by Bishop. "The Mosher Bookplate" essay involves an exchange with James Keenan and Mosher's entry in his The Art of the Bookplate as discussed with Thomas G. Boss. The "Little Celebration" is concerned with the completion of the scarcest series in the Mosher canon: the Reprints from 'The Bibelot' Series. "More Kindnesses" is just that, a continuation of the first essay bringing matters up-to-date.

---, "The Mosher Mimes the Merrier," "Mosher and Dr. Butterworth," "The Wailing Wall," and "Influences through the Mosher Press Website." In Delaware Bibliophiles-Endpapers, March 2004, pp. 1, 7-10, 17-18, and 25-28 respectively. The first brief essay deals with a sub-collection of Marcel Schwob's Mimes; the next essay with the relationship Bishop had with the elderly gentleman, Dr. Theron Butterworth, a book lover whose mother corresponded with Mosher; the third essay is about the placement of two symbols of book disasters; and the fourth touches upon how the Mosher Press website facilitates contact between scholars and the website's compiler.

---, "Garden Correspondences" in Delaware Bibliophiles-Endpapers, September 2003, pp. 31-33. Discusses the development and organization of a perennial garden and its comparison to a collection in a private library.

---, interview by Allan Stypeck and Mike Cuthbert, The Book Guys, National Public Radio, March 20, 2003. During this interview (#0312) Phil Bishop of Mosher Books discusses his passion for collecting and introduces listeners to the early twentieth century "private press" publisher of Portland, Maine: Thomas Bird Mosher.

---,. "William E. Fredeman, 1928-1999" Obituary in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Canada. 2001 Sixth Series, Volume XII., 2002, pp. 139-143.

---, "Deliberations on a Letter" In Delaware Bibliophiles-Endpapers, March 2003, pp. 25-28. Discusses the decision making process behind the acquisition of an original 2 1/4 page letter from the British poet, Lionel Johnson, which rails against Thomas Bird Mosher and his appropriation of Johnson essay on Robert Bridges. The essay also reveals how the recipient of the letter, Thomas Hutchinson (editor, minor poet and book collector), was discovered and confirmed.