A COLLECTION of rare books built up over a lifetime by Sir Basil Blackwell has been given to the Bodleian Library by his family.

The outstanding collection was presented to the Bodleian by Julian Blackwell, the president of the celebrated Oxford booksellers.

The donation was announced on Wednesday at a party to mark the retirement of Reg Carr as the 23rd Bodley's librarian and director of university library services.

The books will form an important part of the new Bodleian Centre for the Study of the Book, that will be located in the renovated New Bodleian building.

A Blackwell Room, housing furniture, books and memorabilia will be created within the centre for researchers, which will also serve as a forum for creative writing and poetry readings, and other events open to the public.

The collection was started by Sir Basil in the 1920s. It includes valuable and important printed books from the 15th century to the 20th century, covering a wide variety of subjects, but especially European and English literature.

Several generations of the Blackwell family were to add to the collection. The library is also very strong in editions published, edited, or supported by the Blackwell family, who were major patrons of scholarly printing of classical works of literature and history from the 1920s onwards.

Mr Carr spoke of the important relationship between the Bodleian and Blackwell's. He said: "For well over a century the Bodleian has lived and worked closely with its nearest Broad Street neighbour, Blackwell's."

One recent example of the link was the Bodleian Outreach programme set up by Mr Carr and Rita Ricketts, Blackwell's historian, to celebrate 125 years of the Broad Street shop. The aim of this venture is to bring sixth formers, their teachers and parents into the Bodleian.

Julian Blackwell, using his father's words, said that he hoped the gift would encourage a new generation "to explore the mind's mountains".