Sir William Osler (1849–1919), a pioneer of modern medicine, was at heart a dedicated bibliophile whose book collection contained important works in the history of medicine. Toward the end of his life, he established a library at his alma mater, McGill University in Montreal, that would contain his books and make them available for future scholars.
The exploration of Osler's life and spirit through his books will interest librarians on three fronts: (1) due to his status as a clinician, pathologist, researcher, and educator; (2) in his contribution to the continued vibrancy of medicine through his bequest of his collection for the use and enjoyment of others; and (3) in his role as cofounder and past president (1901–1904) of the Medical Library Association.
According to the foreword, written by William Feindel, this book grew out of a symposium that was conducted in Montreal in 1999 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Osler's birth and the 70th anniversary of the founding of the library that bears his name. The conference looked at the unique characteristics of the Osler Library holdings and the role that Osler played not only in the creation of the library, but the contributions he made to other libraries. The resulting book is a fitting tribute to Osler, given his bibliophilia.
The book contains six essays that deal with certain aspects of Osler's life and collection. Five of these focus on the library at McGill itself, the creation of the Bibliotheca Osleriana, insight into how Osler requested the works be arranged and the schema developed, and various discussions of notable items in the collection, including those in the Osler Niche, the Arabic and Persian manuscripts, the Paris inaugural theses, and archives and artifacts in the library. The sixth essay discusses his role in the development of the Medical Library Association. The essays are accompanied by full-color illustrations and tables that help bring the events and items discussed to life. Each essay contains references, and the book itself is indexed.
Other books on Osler primarily focus on his biography, his quotations, or his writings. This book chooses to reflect upon his life through his books and his support of libraries. This book would make an excellent addition to academic health sciences libraries or those libraries with a special focus on Osler or the history of medicine. The work is visually interesting. The text is illuminating for those interested in books, libraries, the creation of the Medical Library Association, and the life of this great physician.