>If they love the book and not the content, why do they care if the content is available.
They want to have something that others can't have.
>Wouldn't you rather own the only copy of a famous atlas, then an obscure one?
Some would, but there are plenty who prefer the obscurity. Most aristocrats are more interested in impressing their friends and immediate circle with off-beat style than in starting a popular museum or being seen as gaudy. Obscurity is hip--and sometimes it can even be affordable.
They want to have something that others can't have.
>Wouldn't you rather own the only copy of a famous atlas, then an obscure one?
Some would, but there are plenty who prefer the obscurity. Most aristocrats are more interested in impressing their friends and immediate circle with off-beat style than in starting a popular museum or being seen as gaudy. Obscurity is hip--and sometimes it can even be affordable.