Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-01-04

bic Greenwood Library for Librarians. -
lie was born at Woodley. near stockport,
on NAV g. 1851. His early training was
received at the village school, but in ire
main he was self-educated. lie had q pas
sion for the acquisition Of knowledge. ana
made good use of the Manchester Free
Library and similar institutions, and 4
grateful sense of the benefit thus re-
ceived made him an ardent advocate Of
the establishment of municipal libraries.
He was the architect of his own fortune.
and from humble beginnings came to be
Son & Co., the well-known publishers Of
technical literature and trade journals.
His ability insured success, and both for
business and pleasure he travelled OK
tensively, anu in 1889 published an accoult
of one of his tours in the United States
and Canada. He was also the author Of
a work Of fiction and of some biosraih'
cal notes on Eminent Botanists." But
Mr. Greenwoods chief literary ACTIVITY
was as the advocate of municipal libra
ries, and on this subject he wrote fro
quently and with authority, says the
Manchester Guardian. His book on Pub
lie Libraries went through five editions.
and became the standard work on this
subject. There can be no doubt that Mr..
Greenwood's enthusiastic advocacy had
much TO do with the great increase AID
development in recent years of the rate
supported libraries. He founded at la. a
erlow a congregational library i'll memory
of Rev w. urwick, who was pastor lor
% years In 1902 appeared Mr.. Green
woods life of Edward Edwards, the
Chief Pioneer of Municipal Libraries.
This is model biography. sympathetic
and appreciative and yet discriminating
in the uelineation of a man of great aoii-
ty and noble impulses whose happiness.
though not his usefulness, was married
by the defects of an impatient spirit that
could not always endure the medium in
which it had to work. Mir. Greenwood :
admiration for Edwards led him to gath
er together all the personal relics ana
temains of his library that could he
saved. These he presented to the Maj
chester Free Library. and he later follow
ed up the 2ift by the greater gift of he
'Thomas Greenwood Library for Lla
barianS." This is a collection of some
twelve thousand volumes many of lhen
of great value and rarity. relating to the
history Of writing and Of printing, to the
management of libraries. and to every
section OF biblo2raphical research 1t is
an epitome of the long record OF human
knowledge, from the claN-tahlets of AS
syria and the illuminated MSS, of the
Middle Ages down to the latest aid
Brought out for the benefit of the student
of bibioSgraphy. Some of TUGS, books
have come from famous collections. and
others are precious from their association
with the honored names of bygone worth
les There are also beautiful specimens of
the art of the illuminator, the printer ana
the bookblnder. This collection he present
ed to the Manchester Public Libraries
Committee. and il was intended that
under suitable conditions it should he
available for librarians and scholars at
Il distance as well as for those in this
district. His warm admiration of Ed
ward Edwards led him to hear the cost
Of the monument which now covers tn"
grave, in the churchyard of .>lton. Of the
first librarian of the Manchester Free Ii
brary.
The anonymous author of Henry OF