Scheide Library

Image:Scheide Library, Princeton University, Princeton NJ.jpg

The Scheide Library, once a private library, is now a permanent part of the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at the Princeton University Library. It is housed in the Harvey S. Firestone Memorial Library on the campus of Princeton University.{{cite web|url=https://www.princeton.edu/~rbsc/department/scheide/ |title=RBSC : Scheide Library |publisher=Princeton.edu |date=2010-01-14 |accessdate=2011-12-31}}

In 2015, following the death of William Scheide, the library was donated to the University to become part of its permanent collection. It marks the largest donation in the university's history.{{cite web|title=Scheide donates rare books library to Princeton; collection is largest gift in University's history|url=https://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S42/38/60E50/index.xml?section=featured|accessdate=14 October 2015}}

The Scheide Library is the only library outside of Europe to possess all four of the first printed bibles: the Gutenberg Bible, the 1460 Bible (or Mentelin Bible), the 36-line Bible, and the 1462 Bible. Other notable holdings include manuscripts by Abraham Lincoln, J.S. Bach, and Ludwig van Beethoven, a copy of the Declaration of Independence, and first editions of works by Shakespeare, and Milton.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/10/arts/collector-assembles-a-rare-quartet-of-bibles.html?pagewanted=all |title=Collector Assembles a Rare Quartet of Bibles - New York Times |publisher=Nytimes.com |date=2002-06-10 |accessdate=2011-12-31}} The library also holds significant collections of medieval manuscripts and incunabula, as well as printed books on travel and exploration, and Americana.

The Scheide Library was assembled by three generations of collectors, William T. Scheide, his son, John H. Scheide, and grandson, William H. Scheide.Nicholas A. Basbanes, A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books, Henry Holt, New York, 1995, Chapter 7, "Infinite Riches," pp. 263-274. William H. Scheide is also known for founding the Bach Aria Group, which is credited with reviving interest in Bach's cantatas.{{cite web|url=http://paw.princeton.edu/issues/2009/02/11/pages/3319/index.xml |title=Princeton Alumni Weekly: Book offers rare look inside Scheide '36's collection |publisher=Paw.princeton.edu |date= |accessdate=2011-12-31}} In 1984, William H. Scheide was honored with the Sir Thomas More Medal for Book Collecting, awarded by the University of San Francisco Gleeson Library and the Gleeson Library Associates, in recognition of his "Private Collecting for the Public Good."[https://web.archive.org/web/20030705051345/http://usfca.edu/library/rarebook/gla/medal.html Sir Thomas More Medal for Book Collecting.] University of San Francisco Library and the Gleeson Library Associates. Retrieved from The Wayback Machine July 22, 2024.