Augustus Theodore Bartholomew

Short Biography

Augustus Theodore (Theo) Bartholomew (1882 – 1933) was a bibliographer and a librarian at Cambridge University for over twenty-five years. He was the youngest child of a large family, his father having died shortly before his birth. He grew up in Fowlmere, near Cambridge, and attended the Nonconformist Grammar School in Bishop's Stortford. His mother's lack of funds forced him to quit school at an early age and seek employment nearby. In spite of his limited education, Bartholomew felt from an early age a definite desire for a career in books. At the age of 17, he found a job as "Second-Class Assistant" at the University Library at Cambridge, earning 10 shilings a week. In 1901 he was able to enter Peterhouse, Cambridge, as an undergraduate, graduating in 1904. After graduation, the library remained the focus of his life. He began by cataloguing Lord Acton's donation to the library – a task which took nine years. Bartholomew was exempted from military service during the First World War by reason of his poor eyesight. During the chaotic war years, Bartholomew's sane and precise habits became vital to the smooth functioning of the library. He provided much bibliographical structure for the Cambridge History of English Literature, edited by Sir Adolphus Ward and A.R. Waller.