The passing of a great bibliophile.
It is with great sadness that we have learned that friend of the Bodleian, Colin Franklin passed away on 17 May at the age of 96. We extend our sincere sympathy to his family.
Colin Franklin was one of the greatest bibliophiles of the last century. He was a great friend of the Bodleian Libraries and made a number of donations of great importance, ranging from early English books, to rare Japanese printed materials, modern private press books and calligraphic manuscripts. He served on the Council of the Friends of the Bodleian for many years and his counsel and sage advice to successive Bodley’s Librarians was always highly prized. He was generous with student members of the Society of Bibliophiles and, as such, is the namesake of the Bodleian's annual book-collecting prize.
He will be deeply missed by the Bodleian Libraries and will remain a figure of great importance in our history.
