Colin Ellis Franklin, FSA (8 October 1923 – 17 May 2020) was an English writer,

bibliographer Bibliography (from and ), as a discipline, is traditionally the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology (from ). English author and bibliographer John Carter describes ''bibliography ...

, book-collector and antiquarian

bookseller Bookselling is the commercial trading of books which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, bookpeople, bookmen, or bookwomen. The founding of libra ...

Early life

Franklin was born in Notting Hill, London, into an affluent and influential British Jewish family. He was the son of Muriel Frances Waley (1894–1976) and

Ellis Arthur Franklin Ellis Arthur Franklin (28 March 1894 – 16 January 1964) was an English merchant banker. Early life Franklin was born in Kensington, London into an affluent Anglo-Jewish family. He was the son of Arthur Ellis Franklin, a merchant banker a ...

(1894–1964), a London merchant banker. His sister was the posthumously-renowned biophysicist Rosalind Franklin. The uncle of Franklin's father was The 1st Viscount Samuel, who was

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national s ...

in 1916 and the first practising Jew to serve in a British Cabinet; he was also the first High Commissioner (the Governor of a territory that is not a Colony) for the British Mandate of Palestine. Franklin's aunt, Helen Caroline Franklin, married

Norman Bentwich Norman de Mattos Bentwich (28 February 1883 – 8 April 1971) was a British barrister and legal academic. He was the British-appointed attorney-general of Mandatory Palestine and a lifelong Zionist. Biography Early life Norman Bentwich was th ...

, later the Attorney-General of the British Mandate of Palestine; she was active in trade union organisation and women's suffrage, then a member of the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

and was appointed a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1965.

Career

As a pupil at

Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. The school has been governed by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City ...

, Colin developed an interest in

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

and the Pre-Raphaelites.Franklin, Colin. "How it began" in ''A modest collection''. Pinner:

Private Libraries Association The Private Libraries Association (PLA) came into being in 1956 when 18-year-old Philip Ward wrote a letter to the ''Observer'' inviting booklovers and book collectors to attend a meeting to discuss the setting up of an association whose aims would ...

, 2007, pp. 205–207. After Oundle, he studied at St John's College, Oxford, and worked for some years in publishing (at

Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law ...

in London) before moving into antiquarian bookselling. He specialised in the study of

private presses Private press publishing, with respect to books, is an endeavor performed by craft-based expert or aspiring artisans, either amateur or professional, who, among other things, print and build books, typically by hand, with emphasis on Book design, ...

and the book-arts, but also wrote on Shakespeare, Japanese books and prints,

Lord Chesterfield Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, (22 September 169424 March 1773) was a British statesman, diplomat, and man of letters, and an acclaimed wit of his time. Early life He was born in London to Philip Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Ches ...

, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and on printing techniques and media. He was Honorary President of the

Oxford University Society of Bibliophiles The Oxford University Society of Bibliophiles is a book collecting and bibliophile club run by students at the University of Oxford. It was originally founded in 1950 by a group of young bibliophiles, with the first meetings being held in Hilar ...

, Patron to the Oundle School Society of Bibliophiles, President of the

and the

Double Crown Club The Double Crown Club is a dining club and society of printers, publishers, book designers and illustrators in London that was founded in 1924. Among its early members was the typographer Stanley Morison. According to Sir Sydney Roberts, writing in ...

. On 19 April 2019, he was appointed to the rank of ''Chevalier'' in the '' Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur'' by the President of France in recognition of his service on HMS ''Kimberley'' in August 1944, when he was a junior officer taking part in Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of Southern France.

Select bibliography

*Franklin, Colin. ''Out of order'' oems 1956–2012 Culham: Privately printed, 2015. *Franklin, Colin. ''Letters to a granddaughter on books and book collecting''. Moreton-in-Marsh: Strawberry Press for the author, 2012 .e. 2013 Illustrated by Phillida Gili. *Franklin, Colin. ''Obsessions and confessions of a book life''. New Castle: Oak Knoll; Victoria: Book of Kells; London: Bernard Quaritch, 2012. *Franklin, Colin. ''Exploring Japanese books and scrolls''. San Francisco: Book Club of California, 1999. Reprinted London: British Library, 2005. *Franklin, Colin. ''Book collecting as one of the fine arts''. Aldershot: Scolar, 1995. *Franklin, Colin. ''Lord Chesterfield: his character and Characters''. Aldershot: Scolar, 1993. *Franklin, Colin. ''The Gehenna Press: the work of fifty years, 1942–1992: the catalogue of an exhibition curated by Lisa Unger Baskin''. With a bibliography by Hosea Baskin and notes by Leonard Baskin.

allas Allas is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * (born 1950), Swedish politician * Teet Allas (born 1977), Estonian footballer * Yasmine Allas (born 1967), Somali-Dutch actress and writer See also *Alla (surname) *Allas Sea Pool Al ...

Bridwell Library and Gehenna Press, 1992. *Franklin, Colin. ''Gogmagog: Maurice Cox and the Gogmagog Press''. With David Chambers and Alan Tucker. Pinner:

, 1991. *Franklin, Colin. ''The private presses''. Second edition, Aldershot: Scolar, 1991. (Originally published London: Studio Vista, 1969). *Franklin, Colin. ''Shakespeare domesticated: the eighteenth-century editions''. Aldershot: Scolar, 1991. *Franklin, Colin. ''Elizabeth Barrett Browning at the mercy of her publishers''. aco Armstrong Browning Library, 1989. *Franklin, Colin. ''Poets of the

Daniel Press The Daniel Press was a private press in England, run by Charles Henry Olive Daniel (1836–1919) and members of his family, firstly at Frome and afterwards in Oxford. Henry Daniel began printing in 1845, when still a schoolboy, at Frome in Somer ...

''. Cambridge:

Rampant Lions Press The Rampant Lions Press was a fine letterpress printing firm in Britain, operating from 1924 to 2008. The firm was founded by Will Carter (24 September 1912 – 17 March 2001), publishing its first book in 1936, and was continued by his son, Seba ...

, 1988. *Franklin, Colin. ''The Ashendene Press''. Dallas: Bridwell Library, 1986. *Franklin, Colin. ''Printing and the mind of

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

''. Cambridge: Rampant Lions Press, 1986. *Franklin, Colin (editor). '' Gordon Craig's Paris diary, 1872–1966''. North Hills: Bird and Bull Press, 1982. *Franklin, Colin. ''Fond of printing: Gordon Craig as typographer and illustrator''. San Francisco: Book Club of California, 1980. *Franklin, Colin. ''Themes in aquatint''. San Francisco: Book Club of California, 1978. *Franklin, Colin. ''

Emery Walker Sir Emery Walker FSA (2 April 1851 – 22 July 1933) was an English engraver, photographer and printer. Walker took an active role in many organisations that were at the heart of the Arts and Crafts movement, including the Art Workers G ...

: some light on his theories of printing and on his relations with William Morris and Cobden-Sanderson''. Cambridge: University Printing House, 1973.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Colin 1923 births 2020 deaths Alumni of St John's College, Oxford English bibliographers English book and manuscript collectors English booksellers English Jews Colin People educated at Oundle School Recipients of the Legion of Honour Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Royal Navy officers of World War II Royal Navy officers Military personnel from London People associated with the Oxford University Society of Bibliophiles