Jan Włodek was an eminent scholar of agricultural sciences whose education took place in the late 19th and early 20th century. His life is perfectly reflected in the book collection he owned, or more precisely the ownership marks with which he signed his books. In addition to the bookplates and stamps, the books contain many handwritten notations, indicating the dates and places of residence or travel where Włodek read or purchased the book. The aim of this article is to present Jan Włodek’s biography in the context of his accumulated book collection, currently held at the Library of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn. The journey of the books will also be shown, as a result of which the book collection first became the basis of the Library of the University of Life Sciences in Łódź, established in 1945, and from 1950 onwards the first secular scientific library in Olsztyn. Although more than 700 volumes have so far been extracted through searches at the University Library, the Włodek's collection is an invaluable source for the biography of this outstanding scholar.