In Memoriam: Robert L. Dawson (1943-2007)

Robert (Bob) L. Dawson, an esteemed colleague and friend, a member of the Libraries & Culture editorial board from 1995 to 2005, and a professor of French language and literature in the Department of French and Italian at the University of Texas at Austin since 1975, passed away June 5, 2007, in Paris, France. For thirty-five years, Dawson had spent his summers in Paris, where he attended auctions and amassed an outstanding collection of eighteenth-century literature: more than 15,000 printed titles and 5,000 manuscripts reflecting his broad interests in eighteenth-century literature and culture, the history of the book, and bibliography with special emphasis on women writers, piracies,the French Revolution, and provincial imports. He placed the books and manuscripts in the Cushing Library of Texas A & M University, where library director and fellow L&CR board member, Steven Smith, has planned an exhibition for early 2008 to mark the opening ofthe collection.

In addition to numerous papers and book reviews, many of which have appeared in Libraries & Culture,¹ Dawson was the author of "The French Booktrade and the 'Permission Simple' of 1777: Copyright and the Public Domain," "Customs Confiscations and Banned Books in France during the Last Years of the Ancien Regime," and "Books Across the Channel: France, Great Britain and the International Trade in Books during the Long Eighteenth Century."

Born on July 26, 1943, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bob Dawson received his undergraduate degree in French from Trinity College, Connecticut, and a master's degree in philosophy and a Ph.D. in French from Yale University. In addition to teaching and research, he was active in the Bibliographic Society of America and the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing (SHARP). Known for inspiring and mentoring his students, he emphasized the importance of becoming a published scholar.  Regularly he encouraged students to write reviews for L&C, many of which subsequently appeared in the journal. In addition, Dawson was a helpful friend and colleague, who shared his extensive knowledge of eighteenth-century French culture generously.