Scheide '36 bequeaths 2,500 rare books to Firestone

William Scheide ’36, a musician and philanthropist who died in November at the age of 100, bequeathed his rare books collection to the University, making it the largest gift in the University’s history.

The collection is valued at nearly $300 million and is particularly notable for its breadth and depth, Karin Trainer, the University librarian, said.

Scheide had announced at a luncheon hosted by the University for his 90thbirthday thathe would bequeath the collection to the University upon his death, Trainer said.

After his father,John Scheide,Class of 1896, died in 1942, William Scheidepermitted the transportation in 1959 of the collection from his father’s home in Titusville, Pa., to Firestone Library, where he continued to oversee its care and occasionally add valuable items to it.

“I think he was very happy with the way he thought it was being used and the care he could see we were taking with it even though it belonged to him,” Trainer said of Scheide’s decision to trust the University with the collection after his death. “He knew we were being very good custodians.”

The Scheide Library, founded in 1964, is the last major private library housed in an American research library, Trainer said, adding that the University will continue to make the collection available to visiting scholars.

As part of the large-scale renovations going on in Firestone Library, the University also plans to move the Scheide Library from its home on the first floor down to the C floor, where the entirety of the rare books collection will be brought together in one large, newly-renovated and well-lit space. This will involve the recreation of the Scheide Library in its new location, using stained glass, bookcases and furniture directly from Scheide’s parents’ house.

The University also plans to completelydigitize the collection, Trainer said, adding that theprocess will take time because it consists of a large number of extremely valuable and rare items.

“We have very well-qualified camera operators, very high-grade European cameras and we digitize page by page, with a lot of quality control to make sure the images are perfect,” Trainer said.

The collection spans three generations, beginning with Scheide’s grandfather, William T. Scheide, who started collecting and purchasing rare books in 1865.

The additions Scheide made to the collection have been exceedingly important, Paul Needham, the Scheide Librarian in Firestone’s rare books and special collections department, said. He also added that the collection is strongest in its items from the period of early printing in the 15thcentury, such as the Gutenberg Bible.

“That’s the single area that Bill paid most attention to," Needham said. "He made truly wonderful acquisitions and tremendously strengthened the library."

Get the best of ‘the Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

The gift is one of the most outstanding in the history of American higher education, University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83said.

“This gift from Bill Scheide will be a defining collection for Princeton University. It contains books and manuscripts that will fascinate scholars and enliven the education of Princeton students for generations,” Eisgruber said. “It is a tremendous gift for the University."

Born in Philadelphia, Scheide was raised in a wealthy family and attended private school in Connecticut.

In 1946, Scheide founded the Bach Aria Group with the aim of bringing Bach’s lesser-known music, such as his cantatas and arias, to the public. In the next several decades, the group would come to be internationally renowned as it performed for audiences throughout the world, often funded out of Scheide’s own pocket.

Scheide also played an important role in the battle for civil rights throughout the 20thcentury. As one of the main funders of the Brown v. Board of Education case, Scheide supported the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund generously and was an emeritus member of the organization until his death in November.

Scheide also endowed a professorship in music history, a position currently occupied by Scott Burnham,and sponsored the Scheide Caldwell House at the University.