Mark Samuels Lasner
Encyclopedia
Mark Samuels Lasner is a recognized authority on the literature and art of the late Victorian era
. He is also a collector
, bibliographer
and typographer
. Samuels Lasner is Senior Research Fellow at the University of Delaware Library
.
, Samuels Lasner has served as an honorary Curator
at several institutions and is active in numerous bibliophile
and scholarly organizations. His life’s work has, however, been the amassing of what Samuels Lasner calls "A Period Library", one of the country’s foremost private collections of books, manuscripts, letters, and artworks by British cultural figures who flourished between 1850 and 1900. His collection comprises 2,500 first and other editions, including many signed and association copies, manuscripts, letters, works on paper, and ephemera
.
The materials in his collection, particularly those relating to Aubrey Beardsley
, Max Beerbohm
, Oscar Wilde
, and other writers and artists of the 1890s, have provided the basis for numerous publications and exhibitions. Samuels Lasner is Senior Research Fellow at the Library of the University of Delaware
, which now houses the larger portion of his collection.
(Rivendale Press, 1999), The Yellow Book: A Checklist and Index (Eighteen Nineties Society, 1998), A Selective Checklist of the Published Work of Aubrey Beardsley
(Thomas G. Boss Fine Books, 1995), and William Allingham
: A Bibliographical Study (Holmes Publishing Co., 1993); he has co-authored books such as England in the 1880s: Old Guard and Avant-Garde (University of Virginia Press, 1989) and England in the 1890s: Literary Publishing at the Bodley Head
(Georgetown University Press, 1990).
His articles and notes have appeared in The Book Collector
, Browning Institute Studies, Notes and Queries
, and other journals. He has organized or co-curated exhibitions held at the University of Virginia Library
; Georgetown University Library
; the Houghton Library
and the Fogg Museum, Harvard University
; Bryn Mawr College Library
and the Grolier Club
.
medal from the University of San Francisco
, which was awarded to honor the spirit of "private collecting, a public benefit." In 2009 The American Printing History Association
(APHA) announced a fellowship award, the Mark Samuels Lasner Fellowship in Printing History for the study of printing history. An award of up to $2,000 is available for research in
any area of the history of printing in any form, including all the arts and technologies relevant to printing, the book arts, and letter forms.
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. He is also a collector
Collecting
The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. Some collectors are generalists, accumulating merchandise, or stamps from all countries of the world...
, bibliographer
Bibliography
Bibliography , as a practice, is the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology...
and typographer
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
. Samuels Lasner is Senior Research Fellow at the University of Delaware Library
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
.
Mark Samuels Lasner Collection
A graduate of Connecticut CollegeConnecticut College
Connecticut College is a private liberal arts college located in New London, Connecticut.The college was founded in 1911, as Connecticut College for Women, in response to Wesleyan University closing its doors to women...
, Samuels Lasner has served as an honorary Curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
at several institutions and is active in numerous bibliophile
Bibliophilia
Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. Accordingly a bibliophile is an individual who loves books. A bookworm is someone who loves books for their content, or who otherwise loves reading. The -ia-suffixed form "bibliophilia" is sometimes considered to be an incorrect usage; the older...
and scholarly organizations. His life’s work has, however, been the amassing of what Samuels Lasner calls "A Period Library", one of the country’s foremost private collections of books, manuscripts, letters, and artworks by British cultural figures who flourished between 1850 and 1900. His collection comprises 2,500 first and other editions, including many signed and association copies, manuscripts, letters, works on paper, and ephemera
Ephemera
Ephemera are transitory written and printed matter not intended to be retained or preserved. The word derives from the Greek, meaning things lasting no more than a day. Some collectible ephemera are advertising trade cards, airsickness bags, bookmarks, catalogues, greeting cards, letters,...
.
The materials in his collection, particularly those relating to Aubrey Beardsley
Aubrey Beardsley
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley was an English illustrator and author. His drawings, done in black ink and influenced by the style of Japanese woodcuts, emphasized the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. He was a leading figure in the Aesthetic movement which also included Oscar Wilde and James A....
, Max Beerbohm
Max Beerbohm
Sir Henry Maximilian "Max" Beerbohm was an English essayist, parodist and caricaturist best known today for his 1911 novel Zuleika Dobson.-Early life:...
, Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
, and other writers and artists of the 1890s, have provided the basis for numerous publications and exhibitions. Samuels Lasner is Senior Research Fellow at the Library of the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
, which now houses the larger portion of his collection.
Publications
Samuels Lasner is the author of The Bookplates of Aubrey Beardsley (Rivendale Press, 2008), A Bibliography of Enoch SoamesEnoch Soames
Enoch Soames is a short story by the British writer Max Beerbohm. It appeared in the collection Seven Men and was originally published in the May 1916 edition of The Century Magazine. It is well-known for its clever and humorous use of the ideas of time travel and pacts with the Devil...
(Rivendale Press, 1999), The Yellow Book: A Checklist and Index (Eighteen Nineties Society, 1998), A Selective Checklist of the Published Work of Aubrey Beardsley
Aubrey Beardsley
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley was an English illustrator and author. His drawings, done in black ink and influenced by the style of Japanese woodcuts, emphasized the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. He was a leading figure in the Aesthetic movement which also included Oscar Wilde and James A....
(Thomas G. Boss Fine Books, 1995), and William Allingham
William Allingham
William Allingham was an Irish man of letters and a poet.-Biography:He was born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland and was the son of the manager of a local bank who was of English descent...
: A Bibliographical Study (Holmes Publishing Co., 1993); he has co-authored books such as England in the 1880s: Old Guard and Avant-Garde (University of Virginia Press, 1989) and England in the 1890s: Literary Publishing at the Bodley Head
The Bodley Head
The Bodley Head is an English publishing house, founded in 1887 and existing as an independent entity until the 1970s. The name has been used as an imprint of Random House Children's Books since 1987...
(Georgetown University Press, 1990).
His articles and notes have appeared in The Book Collector
The Book Collector
The Book Collector is a magazine for book collectors that commenced publication in 1952. On its foundation editorial board were Ian Fleming, John Hayward and P.H...
, Browning Institute Studies, Notes and Queries
Notes and Queries
Notes and Queries is a long-running quarterly scholarly journal that publishes short articles related to "English language and literature, lexicography, history, and scholarly antiquarianism". Its emphasis is on "the factual rather than the speculative"...
, and other journals. He has organized or co-curated exhibitions held at the University of Virginia Library
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
; Georgetown University Library
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
; the Houghton Library
Houghton Library
Houghton Library is the primary repository for rare books and manuscripts at Harvard University. It is part of the Harvard College Library within the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Houghton is located on the south side of Harvard Yard, next to Widener Library.- History :Harvard's first...
and the Fogg Museum, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
; Bryn Mawr College Library
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
and the Grolier Club
Grolier Club
The Grolier Club is a private club and society of bibliophiles in New York City. Founded in January 1884, it is the oldest existing bibliophilic club in North America. The club is named after Jean Grolier de Servières, Viscount d'Aguisy, Treasurer General of France, whose library was famous; his...
.
Awards
Samuels Lasner was the 2003 recipient of the Sir Thomas MoreThomas More
Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
medal from the University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
, which was awarded to honor the spirit of "private collecting, a public benefit." In 2009 The American Printing History Association
(APHA) announced a fellowship award, the Mark Samuels Lasner Fellowship in Printing History for the study of printing history. An award of up to $2,000 is available for research in
any area of the history of printing in any form, including all the arts and technologies relevant to printing, the book arts, and letter forms.
External links
- http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/msl/index.htmOverview of the Mark Samuels Lasner Collection at the University of DelawareUniversity of DelawareThe university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
Library] - http://www.materialculture.udel.edu/faculty/lasner.htmlBiography on the Center for Material Culture Studies, University of DelawareUniversity of DelawareThe university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
website]