When Chicago-based ragtime pianist Walter Harding died aged 90 in 1973 he didn’t have a lot of money in the bank.

But he did own a remarkable collection of printed music, verse and drama.

The material lined each room of his house and filled the basement.

Two decades before he died, the musician made a decision to donate the vast collection to the Bodleian Library in Oxford.

Following the gift in 1974, the material was packed in 900 boxes weighing 20 tonnes and flown from Chicago to Oxford on two chartered flights at a cost of $33,000.

Now a selection from the largest ever collection of popular music and verse from the 17th and 18th centuries is going on display.

For the first time, curators at the library will tell the story of the pianist’s life using material from the archive.

Display curator Dr Abigail Williams said: “Walter Harding’s ability to collect on a grand scale, despite modest means, is impressive and inspiring.

“This is a detective story about obsession, philanthropy and one man’s passion for the past.

“Harding is an unsung hero, and a man whose foresight preserved a lost world of popular music at a time in the early 20th century when it was not really valued.

“His legacy is still living and we have only just begun to uncover the riches in this varied and unusual collection.”

The display, which runs until Sunday, January 29, showcases rare Italian part books, broadsheet ballads, miniature theatres and 18th century French opera.

The Bodleian, which has just completed the move of seven million books to a £26m storage facility on the edge of Swindon, wants more room to display its treasures and in 2015 the New Bodleian will become the Weston Library, featuring a glass front on Broad Street, exhibition rooms and a café.

Head of rare books Clive Hurst added: “Walter Harding’s collection constitutes a remarkable resource for scholarship in many fields.

“The Bodleian was delighted to receive his bequest and we hope that his story will help to inspire similar generosity in others.”

The pianist’s legacy is being celebrated with a concert and talk at the library’s Divinity School on Wednesday from 5pm to 7pm.

The display is open Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm, from 9am to 4.30pm on Saturday, and 11am to 5pm on Sunday. Admission is free.

To reserve tickets for the concert, telephone 01865 277000.

Walter Harding was born in London in 1883 and emigrated to America with his family at the age of four.

He never visited the Bodleian and library staff believe his gift was motivated by a sense of nostalgia for England.

He worked as a ragtime pianist, making most of his money from performing at Masonic events.

His success as a collector was partly due to the unfashionable nature of the material he was collecting.