Álvaro Bordalo Boto started his activity as a bibliophile in Porto, the city where he was born and where he lived for part of his life. Over the years he developed a collection of books, magazines, literary journals and manuscripts whose thematic and chronological scope covers practically the entire Portuguese literary production of the 20th century.

In 1949, Álvaro Bordalo published Gazeta do Bibliófilo (Bibliophile’s Gazette) as a supplement to the magazine Portvcale, which earned him renown and respect among bibliophiles in Portugal.

A profound connoisseur of Portuguese literature, he was the editor of Teixeira de Pascoais and collected the works of José Régio, Miguel Torga and Camões, for example, but his favourite were the authors of the modernist period, especially Fernando Pessoa, having acquired around six hundred volumes by and about the author of A mensagem at the auction of Luís de Montalvor’s estate.

As well as collecting publications, Álvaro Bordalo wrote notes, published pamphlets, interviewed authors – such as Pascoais – and produced bibliographic records.

In 1983, he decided to leave the library he had assembled to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, where it was transferred in 1986 and is now part of the Art Library collection.