Richard Gimbel (July 26, 1898 – May 27, 1970) was an American businessman, World War I and World War II veteran, and book collector who served as president of curator of aeronautical literature at the Yale University Library.
[1] He served with the 310th Field Artillery Regiment during World War I rising from private to first lieutenant.
[1] In 1953, he retired as full colonel in 1953 and stayed with the library as curator of aeronautical literature.
[1] Thereafter, he was a voracious collector of books, specializing in Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, and Thomas Paine in addition to anything aeronautical.
[1] He purchased the Philadelphia home of Edgar Allan Poe, filled it with his non-aeronautical collection, and presented it to the city of Philadelphia as the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum.