Cornell Collection
Professor J.G. (James Gladstone) Cornell, 1904-1991

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James Cornell was appointed to The University of Adelaide in 1938 as lecturer-     in-charge of French and became in 1944 the University's first Professor of French Language and Literature, a position he held until his retirement in 1969. He was decorated by the French Government in 1955 with the award of the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur for his weekly broadcasts in French throughout the war to the French-speaking communities in the Pacific, and in 1984 was awarded the Commandeur des Palmes Académiques for his distinguished contribution to the teaching of French and dissemination of French culture within South Australia.

This collection reflects Professor Cornell's particular interest in French language and literature to 1600, with numerous editions of medieval romances and poetry and of the works of Rabelais, Montaigne and Villon, but also encompasses later writers, including some interesting works on the French decadents and symbolists and publications issued clandestinely in France during the second World War. Many of the books have been extensively annotated by Professor Cornell and reflect his wide reading and close textual analysis.

This collection was selected from Professor Cornell's personal library by his family and presented together with the bust of Professor Cornell executed by John Dowie in 1975 as an appropriate and enduring memorial. Many other works from Professor Cornell's library have been given to the University and will be found in the main collection. His papers have been deposited with Special Collections.