HONOUR FOR QUARRYMAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21100, 6 February 1932, Page 3 (Supplement)

HONOUR FOR QUARRYMAN.

MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE, j COLLECTOR OF WELSH BOOKS. An unemployed quarryman, Owen ! Croesor. aged 46. who lives midst the j mountain fastnesses of Snowdonia. lately f told a romantic story lying behind the 1 conferment upon him of an honorary M.A. | decree by the University of Wales. The j decree has been awarded for Mr. Croesor's ; services to Welsh literary history, i *' I left school at. 13 to become a shep--1 herd cow drover," said Mr. Croesor, *' and j later entered a quarry. While discussing I politics and literature with my fellow- ! workers in the quarrv my attention was | turned to the history of literature." ! In 1913 Mr. Croesor bought two small ! libraries, and what started as a leisured j hobby has developed into an all-conquer- | :ng passion, until he has become the j prince of Welsh book collectors. His I secluded home is the repository of 13.000 I rare books and manuscript he finest 1 individual collection of Welsh books in j existence. On the second day of his honeymoon, ! hearing that a valuable book was to be obtained in Aberystwyth, Mr. Croesor i left his bride to go in quest of it, and the | best part of the honeymoon was spent in 1 the Welsh National Library, j "My ambition," Mr. Croesor says. "is ! to hunt through America for rare Welsh j books. I muv also write a book on Welsh | scientists, whom we have neclected in j concentrating on the poets and literary giants."