Cirrus@Austlit

'William Legrand was an eccentric but erudite Hobart bookseller who arrived in Tasmania in 1855 at the age of approximately 39. Little is known of his background except that he was thought to be of French descent and was held to have mixed with Baudelaire, Gautier, Mérimée, Murger and other literary figures in Paris. Apart from antiquarian books, Legrand was also an expert in conchology and in 1871 he published a treatise on "Tasmanian land shells". His passion for books was never queried, nor was his erudition, but contemporary witnesses commented on his neglected appearance and on the dusty and chaotic condition of his shop and house. Legrand died in 1902, aged 86. When due to his illnesss the business was closed down, approximately 80,000 items (books, manuscripts, memorabilia, artworks, etc.) were disposed of, mostly through a second-hand general dealer' (Editor's abstract)