He attended Waverley Superior Public School where a sympathetic teacher and a class reader were to inspire in him a life-long love of poetry and especially of the Romantic poets.

[3] Located at 86 Bourke Street (where it has remained ever since, except for a few months at Eastern Market), this bookshop emerged as "a major outlet for antiquarian, second-hand and fine new books".

[7] In the 1920s, through his network of connections and due to his reputation as a bookseller of note, he was appointed to handle the dispersal of the important private libraries of Frank Hobill Cole, Robert Carl Sticht[8][9] and Henry White.

[2] In 1923 Edgar Charles Harris joined the staff of Hill of Content and was of great assistance in handling "the majesty of the Sticht Collection".

[4] Spencer formed a private company to operate Hill of Content, "issuing the preference shares to Collins Street doctor-clients".

[11] In 1952 Spencer sold Hill of Content to Angus & Robertson and began trading from his home at 41 Tennyson Street, Sandringham[12] as the Shining Sea Bookroom.