Alexander Cockburn TOWNSEND: librarian (British Museum (Natural History)1930-1964) and bibliographer

摘要

Alex Townsend read Classics, and Modern and Medieval Languages at Magdalene College,Cambridge. He joined the staff of the British Museum (Natural History), London, aftera brief and somewhat unsatisfactory year as a schoolmaster. His predecessors, B. B.Woodward and B. H. Souslby, were difficult to follow, both being acknowledged for theirbibliographical accuracy and scholarship. Soulsby's Catalogue of the works of Linnaeus wasnear completion and on the death of Soulsby in 1933 it was left to Townsend to write theintroduction and to see the addenda and corrigenda through the press; he also completed thethree-volume supplement to the Catalogue of the books, manuscripts and drawings in thelibrary of the British Museum (Natural History); these two major projects stretching hisbibliographical expertise.