Falconer Madan (15 April 1851 – 22 May 1935) was

Librarian A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...

of the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

Early life and education

Falconer Madan was born in

Cam Cam or CAM may refer to: Science and technology * Cam (mechanism), a mechanical linkage which translates motion * Camshaft, a shaft with a cam * Camera or webcam, a device that records images or video In computing * Computer-aided manufacturin ...

, Gloucestershire, the fifth son of George and Harriet Madan. He was educated at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. It was founded as Marlborough School in 1843 by the Dean of Manchester, George ...

and

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The l ...

, where he took part in Oxford and Cambridge chess matches in 1873 and 1874, and won the University Singles

fives Fives (historically known as hand-tennis) is an English handball sport derived from ''jeu de paume'', similar to the games of handball, Basque pelota, and squash. The game is played in both singles and doubles teams, in an either three- or f ...

prize in 1874.

Career

Madan was a fellow of Brasenose from 1875 until 1880, when he was appointed sub-librarian of the

. In 1890, he was given the task of the creating a summary catalogue of the manuscripts of the Bodleian beginning with those not included in the catalogue of 1697. The completion of the ''Summary Catalogue'' is the chief monument of his work. In 1889, Madan became a Fellow again and lecturer in

palaeography Palaeography (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, UK) or paleography (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, US) (ultimately from , , 'old', and , , 'to write') is the study and academic disciplin ...

until 1913. Another significant publication of this period is his ''The Early Oxford Press: a bibliography of printing and publishing at Oxford, 1468–1640'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1895). In 1909 Madan gave the

Sandars Lectures The Sandars Readership in Bibliography is an annual lecture series given at Cambridge University. Instituted in 1895 at the behest of Samuel Sandars of Trinity College (1837–1894), who left a £2000 bequest to the University, the series has con ...

on bibliography at Cambridge, choosing as his topic the localisation and dating of manuscripts. In 1912, Madan became Librarian of the Bodleian. During this time, a new underground book-store under

Radcliffe Square Radcliffe Square is a square in central Oxford, England. It is surrounded by historic Oxford University and college buildings. The square is cobbled, laid to grass surrounded by railings in the centre, and is pedestrianised except for access. T ...

was opened, the library records were put into systematic arrangement, and the ''Bodleian Quarterly Record'', a periodical of more than local interest, was started. He resigned the librarianship in 1919. He was president of the

Library Association The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP, pronounced ) is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers in the United Kingdom. It was established in 2002 as a merger of th ...

in 1914 and 1915, President of the

Bibliographical Society Founded in 1892, The Bibliographical Society is the senior learned society in the UK dealing with the study of the book and its history. The Society promotes and encourages study and research in historical, analytical, descriptive and textual ...

from 1919 to 1921, and President of the Oxford Bibliographic Society in 1924 and 1925. He published many library-related works. In 1932, he received the Gold Medal of the

. Madan helped Sidney Herbert Williams revise his ''A Bibliography of

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...

'' (London: The Bookman's Journal, 1924), the first such, into ''A Handbook of the Literature of the Rev. C. L. Dodgson (

)'' (London: Oxford University Press, 1931), receiving co-author credit, and published a supplement thereto in 1935. He also edited ''The

Centenary in London'' (London: J. & E. Bumpus, 1932), a catalogue of the exhibition.

Personal life

Falconer Madan married Frances Jane Hayter (1862–1938) second daughter of Harrison Hayter the engineer. His son, Geoffrey, was a celebrated anthologist. His daughter Ethel married Charles Fox Burney, and his granddaughter Venetia Burney is noteworthy for proposing the name

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of Trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Su ...

for the newly discovered planet. Another son, Francis Falconer Madan (1886-1961), was a bibliographer and art collector, who gave works to the British Museum and left a large bequest of paintings to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

Publications

* ''Oxford Books: a bibliography of printed works relating to the university and city of Oxford or printed or published there'' (1895-1931) :* v.1 ''The Early Oxford Press, 1468–1640'' :* v.2 ''Oxford Literature, 1450–1640, and 1641–1650'' :* v.3 ''Oxford Literature, 1651–1680''
''Books in Manuscript''
(1893) * '' The Gresleys of Drakelowe'' (1899) * ''A Brief Account of the University Press at Oxford'' (1908) * ''History of the Madan Family'' * ''The Daniel Press: memorials of C. H. O. Daniel, with a bibliography of the Press 1845–1919''. (Oxford: Printed on the Daniel Press in the Bodleian Library, 1922. Reprinted: Folkestone: Dawsons, 1974. Addenda and corrigenda, 1922.) * ''Oxford Outside the Guide-Books'' (1923) * ''A Handbook of the Literature of the Rev. C. L. Dodgson (Lewis Carroll)'' (1931) * ''The Lewis Carroll Centenary in London'' (1932)

References

* ''Who's Who'' * ''Times'' Obituaries May 1935

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Madan, Falconer 1851 births 1935 deaths People educated at Marlborough College Bodley's Librarians English librarians Fellows of Brasenose College, Oxford Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford People from Stroud District Presidents of the Bibliographical Society