A. J. A. Symons was, as Simon C. W. Hewett puts it, "a bibliophile, bibliographer, bookdealer, calligrapher, serial club founder, gourmet, author, biographer, and expert on Baron Corvo, Oscar Wilde, and Victorian musical boxes." He is perhaps best remembered as the author of The Quest for Corvo. Simon Hewett draws on his own collection, highlighted in a 2018 exhibition at the Grolier Club, representing Symons interests through manuscripts, books, letters, membership lists, photos, catalogues, rule books, and ephemera.