author
Addison Van Name
A Yale librarian and philologist with a deep interest in languages, he helped transform the university library over four decades and built one of the country’s notable collections in Oriental literature.
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About the author
Born in 1835, Addison Van Name was an American philologist and librarian whose career became closely tied to Yale. He graduated as valedictorian of Yale’s class of 1858 and later served as the university’s librarian from 1865 to 1904, becoming librarian emeritus in 1905.
During his long tenure, Yale’s library grew dramatically, and he was especially known for strengthening its holdings in Oriental literature. His work also connected him to scholarly organizations, including the American Oriental Society and the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Van Name died in 1922, but he is still remembered as one of the major figures in the early growth of Yale’s library and as a scholar with a lasting interest in languages and books.