Noted bibliographer Laurence dead at 87

SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Bibliographer Dan H. Laurence, known for his devotion to the works of playwright George Bernard Shaw, has died in San Antonio at the age of 87.

Prior to dying of natural causes, Laurence had spent most of his life collecting the Irish playwright's works and earning a reputation as one of the foremost Shaw scholars, The New York Times said Sunday.

During the 50 years Laurence focused his studies on the Nobel Prize-winning writer, he amassed enough of Shaw's written correspondence to produce four notable volumes.

Fellow biographer Michael Holroyd, who also wrote on Shaw's literary accomplishments, said Laurence possessed the pinnacle of knowledge when it came to Shaw.

"I always felt that if I had said to him, 'Dan, what was Shaw doing on the 30th of January, 1932?' he would have said, 'You mean in the morning or the afternoon?' And then he would have told me," Holroyd said.

The Times said Laurence, who died last Tuesday, left no immediate survivors.