BPH has learnt that Dr John Lambert Wilson who was active in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s for his researches on the photographically illustrated book died on 1 March 2022, aged 79 years. John, who was then based in Oxford, built up a formidable collection of books on early photography and those illustrated with photographs.
His PhD was titled Publishers and Purchasers of the Photographically-Illustrated Book in the Nineteenth Century, (University of Reading, 1995). John also compiled in 1992 Catalogue of a collection relating to the literature of photography, 1639-1905 which is unpublished in two volumes.
John also helped arrange an exhibition of photographic books and associated conference in Oxford and supported the British Library's mid-1990s project to catalogue its photographically-illustrated books where it acknowledged 'the use of his two catalogues of The Literature of the History of Photography'. He was an independent scholar and he was also a volunteer assisting with cataloguing the RPS Collection, then in South Audley Street, London.
John's interests shifted to early agrarian history, particularly the history of sheep breeding. He is described by one friend as "a fine bibliophile and sterling English eccentric".
Details are of his funeral are not yet available.
Comments
John will be mourned by the wide circle of contacts with whom he so solicitously maintained contact by phone and beautifully written missives. He was the most generous of friends and not only freely shared his vast knowledge but frequently tracked down and gifted unexpected gems acquired through his network of book buyers and dealers, relying on a very real network of fellow bibliophiles that worked better than many virtual networks! I shall miss not only his insights and erudition, but his kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity. He was wonderful company, and the hours with him were enriched with wonderful tales of mysteries he still sought to solve as well as the constant stream of new connections he continued to make. I have tried to follow one of the early lessons he taught me, namely to contact the source of any newly acquired book that has not been obviously deaccessioned and check with them whether they want it back (not all do; even the Bodleian had disposed of some parts of their holdings under now misty circumstances, and failed to make this clear in the works in question). RIP dear friend.