Death of Sir Thomas Bodley
The bibliophile and founder of the Bodleian Library died on January 29th, 1613.
The story of one of the world’s greatest libraries starts in the 14th century, when Oxford University was given a small collection of books by the Bishop of Worcester. More items were accumulated over time and in the 1400s Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (Henry V’s youngest brother), a zealous and learned collector, added many books and manuscripts. In the next century, however, the library struck hard times, the building fell into disrepair and much of the collection vanished.
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