Collection - William A.S. Sarjeant History of Earth and Allied Natural Science Collection

William Antony Swithin (Bill) Sarjeant (1935-2002), geologist, historian, novelist, folklorist, folksinger, bibliophile, bibliographer, and polymath, was born and educated in Sheffield, England, began his academic career as a geologist at the University of Nottingham, and served as Professor of Geology at the University of Saskatchewan from 1972 until his death. While establishing his reputation as a leading authority on marine micro-fossils through more than 300 publications, he also found time to write and publish a series of fantasy novels (The Perilous Quest for Lyonesse, under the pen name of Antony Swithin), two illustrated histories of Saskatoon, dozens of literary studies, (including Ms Holmes of Baker Street: The Truth about Sherlock, with Alan Bradley, 2nd edition, University of Alberta Press, 2004), a major study of dinosaur footprints (The Tracks of Triassic Vertebrates , with Geoffrey Tresise, 1997), a ten-volume bibliography of the earth sciences, and to make a series of records as a founding member of the folk music ensemble The Prairie Higglers. He also amassed a collection of more than 70,000 books on subjects ranging from the history of science and scientists to children’s, detective, fantasy, science-fiction, transportation, and travel literature. His donation of these collections (valued at more than one-million dollars) to the University of Alberta Library commenced in 1996 and concluded with the bequest of the remainder upon his death.