Sir Henry Thomas, FBA (21 November 1878 – 21 July 1952) was an English bibliographer and Hispanic scholar. A graduate of the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

, he worked at the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

from 1903 to 1947, where he was successively Deputy Keeper (1924–43), Keeper (1943–45) and Principal Keeper (1946–47) of Printed Books. He delivered the Norman MacColl lectures at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

(1917) and the

Taylorian Lecture The Taylorian Lecture, sometimes referred to as the "Special Taylorian Lecture" or "Taylorian Special Lecture", is a prestigious annual lecture on Modern European Literature, delivered at the Taylor Institution in the University of Oxford since 188 ...

at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

(1922), was president of the Anglo-Spanish Society (1931 to 1947) and the

Bibliographical Society Founded in 1892, The Bibliographical Society is the senior learned society dealing with the study of the book and its history in the United Kingdom. Largely owing to the efforts of Walter Arthur Copinger, who was supported by Richard Copley ...

(1936 to 1938), was elected a

fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # C ...

in 1936, and

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1946; he received

DLitt Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

degrees from the University of Birmingham and the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

."Thomas, Sir Henry"
''

Who Was Who ''Who's Who'' is a reference work. It is a book, and also a CD-ROM and a website, giving information on influential people from around the world. Published annually as a book since 1849, it lists people who influence British life, according to i ...

'' (online ed.,

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, December 2020). Retrieved 10 February 2021.

Selected works

* ''The Romance of Amadís of Gaul'' (London: Blades, East and Blades, 1912; 2nd ed., 1916). * ''The Palmerin Romances'' (London: Blades, East and Blades, 1916). * ''Spanish and Portuguese Romances of Chivalry'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1920). * ''Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in Spain and of Spanish Books Printed elsewhere in Europe before 1601 Now in the British Museum'' (London: British Museum, 1921). * ''Shakespeare and Spain'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1922). * ''Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in France and of French Books Printed in Other Countries from 1470 to 1600 Now in the British Museum'' (London: British Museum, 1924). * ''Spanish Sixteenth-Century Printing'' (London: Ernest Benn, 1926). *''The Beginnings of Printing in London'' (London: Lanston Monotype Corporation, 1928). * ''Monster and Miracle'' (Sonning-on-Thames: Manor House Press, 1935). *''The Star of Seville'' (Newton: Gregynog Press, 1935). * ''The Discovery of Abyssinia by the Portuguese in 1520'' (London: British Museum, 1938). * ''The Crafty Farmer. A Spanish Folk-Tale''. Illustrated by

Gregorio Prieto Gregorio Prieto Muñoz (2 May 1897 – 14 November 1992) was a Spanish painter associated with the Generation of '27. Life He was born in Valdepeñas Valdepeñas is a municipality in the province of Ciudad Real, in the autonomous community ...

(London: Dolphin Bookshop Editions, 1938). * ''Early Spanish Bookbindings, XI–XV Centuries'' (London: Bibliographical Society, 1939). * ''Short-Title Catalogue of Portuguese Books Printed before 1601 Now in the British Museum'' (London: British Museum, 1940). * ''Short-Title Catalogue of Spanish-American Books Printed before 1601 Now in the British Museum'' (London: British Museum, 1944). * ''Anti-English Propaganda in the Time of Queen Elizabeth'' (Oxford: Hispanic Society of America, 1946).

Selected works

References

Further reading