Mark Samuels Lasner has donated his collection of British literature and art to the University’s Morris Library Special Collections.
Worth more than $10 million, the Mark Samuels Lasner Collection is the largest and most valuable donation in the library’s history.
“On behalf of the University of Delaware, I am honored that Mr. Samuels Lasner chose our great university as the home for his extraordinary collection,” said UD President Dennis Assanis. “This collection of Victorian authors, artists and intellectuals adds tremendous value to scholarship on campus. It exemplifies UD’s commitment to excellence in humanistic, artistic and creative endeavors, as well as our dedication to service to society. It is truly a gift of knowledge.”
Legally blind since birth, he has been called by some the “foremost blind book collector in the world.” His visual impairment has not prevented him from amassing one of the most important private collections, at the same time pursuing a remarkable career as a bibliographer, typographer, philanthropist, scholar and curator.
“There’s a long tradition of bibliophiles with severe vision problems,” Samuels Lasner says. “I think it’s because people who can’t see well like to gather around them things they can see.”
Since 2004 Samuels Lasner has been senior research fellow at the University of Delaware Library. Samuels Lasner is also a member of the boards of directors of the University of Delaware Library Associates and the Center for Book Arts in New York.
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