An individual sitting in a chair in front of several shelves of enclosed bookcases. The individual is wearing a medal around their neck.
Library, Museums and Press Staff
June 15, 2023

University Honors Bibliophile Mark Samuels Lasner for Historic Gift

Mark Samuels Lasner, senior research fellow in Special Collections at the Library, Museums and Press, was awarded the University of Delaware’s Medal of Distinction on May 16, 2023, at the University’s Board of Trustees meeting for donating his $10 million collection of British literature to the Library in 2017.

“It is the largest and the most valuable donation [to the Library] in our history,” said Terri L. Kelly, chair of the Board of Trustees. Kelly, along with University President Dennis Assanis and other UD leaders, presented Samuels Lasner with the award.

Built over the course of 40 years, the Mark Samuels Lasner Collection focuses on British literature and art from 1850 to 1900, with an emphasis on the Pre-Raphaelites and the writers and illustrators of the 1890s. It consists of more than 9,750 books, periodicals, letters, manuscripts, photographs and artwork. The collection includes items by such notable figures as Oscar Wilde, George Eliot, Max Beerbohm and more, and has drawn researchers to UD from around the world.

“In donating my collection to the University of Delaware, I hoped that it would be a catalyst for housing, promoting and making more accessible the University’s truly remarkable, world-class holdings of rare books, manuscripts, archives and artworks,” said Samuels Lasner, a long-time bibliophile and philanthropist.

Samuels Lasner shared his excitement that planning had begun for a renovation of the second floor of Morris Library. The renovation will make the holdings within the Library’s Special Collections, including the Mark Samuels Lasner Collection, more easily accessible for the UD community and researchers around the world.

“The holdings of the University extend over six centuries and encompass all of human endeavor,” said Samuels Lasner. “They are a stimulus. They are a resource for students, faculty, the University community and researchers from around the world. I am proud to have a little part in making that happen.”

The Medal of Distinction is the highest non-academic award bestowed by the University’s Board of Trustees. It recognizes individuals who have made humanitarian, cultural, intellectual or scientific contributions to society; those who have achieved noteworthy professional success; and those who have given significant service to the University, community, state or region.