On July 31st Irwin Toby Holtzman, one of the more prominent book collectors and library supporters of the second half of the twentieth-century, passed away.
Over the years Holtzman built numerous collections and the fruits of his labor can be found in 15 libraries around the world.
Here’s a sampling of a few of his collections and where they now live:
-The University of Michigan received his William Faulkner collection.
-The British Library received his John Osborne collection.
-The University of Illinois received his American Indian collection.
-He donated the greatest collection in private hands in the world of Boris Pasternak, Joseph Brodsky, in addition to an important collection of Isaac Babel to the Hoover Institute at Stanford University.
-His greatest achievement; however, was his gift to Hebrew University. Holtzman donated what is perhaps the the most comprehensive collection of the literature of Israel ever assembled including manuscripts and inscribed copies of every book of original literature in as many as seven to nine languages from 1948 to the present.
Clearly, this is a tremendous loss for the book universe and this request from his obituary might be one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read.
“In lieu of any donations, please honor the memory of Toby Holtzman and the values of his life, by supporting a library, buying books at your local bookstores, and reading to your children and grandchildren”
Full obituary here
Image via