William S. Reese
William S. Reese | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 29, 1955 |
| Died | June 4, 2018 (aged 62) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Occupation | Antiquarian bookseller |
William Sherman Reese (July 29, 1955 - June 4, 2018) was an American bookseller and founder of the William Reese Company.[1] Over a 44-year career, he became known as a leading figure in the rare book world, with particular expertise in book history and Americana.[1][2]
Biography
Reese was born to William Blaine Reese and Katherine Reese (née Jackson) on July 29, 1955, in Havre de Grace, Maryland.[1] He had a sister, Barbara.[1] He attended Gilman School in Baltimore, Maryland, where he was the president of his senior class and from which he graduated in 1973.
Reese married Margaret Hurt, who died in 2002.[1] He later married Margaret Hurt's sister, Dorothy Hurt.[1]
Reese died on June 4, 2018.[1]
Bookselling career
Reese's first bibliographic publications and antiquarian sales occurred while he was an undergraduate at Yale in the mid-1970s.[1] At this time, he was a partner in the rare book firm Frontier Americana.[2] He received a B.A. in history from Yale in 1977.[1] His senior thesis was titled Winnowers of the Past: The Americanist Tradition in the Nineteenth Century.[2] After graduation, Reese worked with bookseller Fred White, Jr in Texas.[3]
Reese founded the William Reese Company in 1979, in New Haven, Connecticut.[2] Over the next forty years, the company became the leader in the Americana market, with the best items and the best collections passing through Reese's hands.[3] The company issued hundreds of catalogues of American materials.[2] Reese also worked closely with Yale's Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library to shape their Americana collections.[4]
In 1998, the William Reese Company began offering Fellowships in the Print Culture of the Americas, to fund research in American book history.[5]
Reese was profiled in the 2019 documentary The Booksellers, directed by D.W. Young.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Newman, Andy (2018-06-15). "William Reese, Leading Seller of Rare Books, Is Dead at 62". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
- ^ a b c d e "In Memoriam: William Reese (1955-2018)". The New Antiquarian. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
- ^ a b Zimmerman, Kurt. "William Reese (1955-2018): A Personal Homage". International League of Antiquarian Booksellers. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
- ^ Morand, Michael (2018-06-16). "In Memoriam: William Reese '77". Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
- ^ "Reese Fellowships". William Reese Company. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
- ^ "The Booksellers". Retrieved 2020-04-25.