Shaheen said his brother outlined his intentions in his will and knew that the University of Memphis didn't have the funds to buy the collection. "It was probably more suited for the University of Tennessee," he said.
UT Libraries' development director Amy Yancey said it was the professor's goal to make sure the books were available to the public.
Shaheen "expressed the hope the collection would not fall into private hands and out of the reach of scholars. He also hoped the collection could remain at home in Tennessee, where he conducted his life's work," she said.
His colleagues in Memphis remembered his commitment to his study of Shakespeare. He became an internationally known authority on the subject and documented more than 1,200 biblical references in his writings.
Book took 23 years
At the age of 68, Shaheen finished an 880-page reference book called Biblical References in Shakespeare's Plays, which took 23 years to compile.His interest in Shakespeare drove him to collect Geneva Bibles, which were named after the Swiss city where Protestant scholars fled under the reign of Queen Mary I of England. They collaborated to create a more user-friendly study Bible than many households bought. The King James Version wouldn't be published until 1611, when Shakespeare's career was almost over.
Former student Nell Blair recalled that Shaheen would bring his Geneva Bibles to class to share with his students.
"How many people get to be in class with a piece of history without plexiglass, humidity controlled surroundings and security?" she asked. "He really shared his love of Shakespeare and the Bible with his students." ASSOCIATED PRESS • October 17, 2009
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