author
David H. Stam
1935–2023
A lifelong champion of books and libraries, David H. Stam combined a distinguished career in research librarianship with deep scholarly interests in literary history, polar exploration, and the culture of reading. His memoir and studies reflect a curious, wide-ranging mind shaped by decades among remarkable collections and readers.
1 Audiobook
Turgenev in English : a checklist of works by and about him
by Rissa Yachnin, David H. Stam
About the author
David H. Stam (July 11, 1935–February 7, 2023) was an American librarian, author, and scholar. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, he earned degrees from Wheaton College, Rutgers University, and Northwestern University, and began his four-decade library career while serving in the U.S. Navy Reserve as librarian of the USS Galveston.
Stam held leadership positions at the New York Public Library, Marlboro College, the Newberry Library, and Johns Hopkins University. He later returned to the New York Public Library as Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Research Libraries, then served as University Librarian at Syracuse University from 1986 to 1998 and afterward as University Librarian Emeritus and a senior scholar in its history department.
His writing ranged from bibliographies and literary studies to the history of libraries, performance, and polar exploration. He developed a particular passion for the print culture of Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, producing works including Adventures in Polar Reading and the memoir What Happened to Me: My Life with Books, Research Libraries, and Performing Arts.