NEW YORK – Dr. Nicholas Tsamparlis was featured in the annual newsletter for the American Trust for the British Library (ATBL) for his support of conservation efforts in the Ashley Library Collection which contains much ‘Byroniana’ connected to George Gordon Byron (Lord Byron), the English Romantic poet. The collection includes, among other things, the correspondence between Lord Byron and his publisher and friend John Murray as well as texts connected to Lord Byron’s travels in Greece.

Dr. Tsamparlis’ annual pledge is for ten years’ support for the conservation and preservation of the Ashley Library Collection.

“I am a physician with Yale New Haven Hospital living in Rye Brook, NY,” Dr. Tsamparlis said in the ATBL newsletter. “I have many hobbies: I clay shoot, hunt pheasant and mallards, flyfish, ice fish, sail, collect rare books, enjoy museums, travel to new places—especially ones in Greece.”

When asked about his connection to the British Library, Dr. Tsamparlis said: “Over the years I learned the need to preserve for posterity books not only on the internet, but also the originals. To hold, admire, and to open gently, hard copy editions will continue to amaze those who can appreciate them.”

Of Lord Byron and why his works and life are important to him, he said: “As a Greek-American growing up in a home where books were paramount, history and literature were told and retold. Of an ancestor who fought with Kanaris and helped sink the flagship of the Turkish Admiral after the Massacre of Chios, Of my grandparents who left Smyrna in 1922, and settled in the new suburb of Athens, Virona. With his long-standing connections to Greece, Lord Byron and his work have been constants in my life.”

Dr. Tsamparlis also shared his favorite works by Lord Byron: “I love his poems. Specifically, ‘So, We’ll Go No More a Roving’ (1817), ‘She Walks in Beauty’ (1832-33), and ‘When We Two Parted’ (1816).”

When asked what inspired him to make his annual giving commitment to preserve the Ashley Library materials, he said in the ATBL newsletter: “Over the years there have been discussions regarding the Parthenon Marbles and repatriation to Greece. I felt, with my gift, what better way to preserve an Englishman’s works who gave his life to Greece— a gesture that might, in some way, reduce the legacy of discord.”

Dr. Tsamparlis also noted why it is important to preserve the materials: “As a collector of rare books, nothing gives me more pleasure than to hold books that were first held 200 years ago. Hopefully, preservation will allow these materials to be shared with and enjoyed by future admirers.”

When asked what future donors should know about providing support to the British Library, Dr. Tsamparlis said: “It’s my hope that the British Library will become the Alexandria Library of the future, and, as such, be the holder of the past as a beacon for future generations.”

The American Trust for the British Library (ATBL) is a nonprofit organization that promotes and supports the work of the British Library, one of the world’s greatest research libraries.

More information about ATBL is available online: https://atbl.us.