Antiquarian bookseller and keen musician Albi Rosenthal has died at his home in Boars Hill, near Oxford, aged 89.

He is survived by his wife Maud, and their three children Jackie Gray, Jim Rosenthal and Julia Rosenthal. His son Jim, who is an ITV sports presenter, is a former Oxford Mail reporter.

Mr Rosenthal was born into a family of antiquarian booksellers -- an interest which stemmed from his grandfather Jacques and his brother Ludwig.

Mr Rosenthal's father Dr Erwin Rosenthal was a bookseller and art historian, and his mother Margherita was the daughter of Leo lschki, a famous bookseller and publisher in Florence. Mr Rosenthal left Munich, where the family firm had been established since 1867, in 1933 at the age of 18 and came to Britain.

Initially he settled in London, where he studied medieval book illustration and palaeography at the Warburg Institute for three years.

In 1936, with the help of his father, he set up his own business in London, dealing with early printed and medieval literature. In 1941 Mr Rosenthal moved his business to Oxford, setting up a bookshop in Turl Street, which later moved to Broad Street.

In 1955 he bought the firm of Otto Haas in London, which specialised in musical literature and autographs.

Fluent in German, French and Italian, Mr Rosenthal travelled widely for his work, selling to libraries and collectors throughout the world.

He was also a keen collector himself, including manuscripts connected with Mozart, Monteverdi and Paganini. Mr Rosenthal was a trustee of the Paul Sacher Foundation in Basel, Germany, a research centre for modern music, on whose behalf he acquired numerous composers' archives.

He was also a trustee of the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, Germany, and of the Nietzsche-Haus in Sils Maria, Switzerland, as well as a member of the Council of Friends of Bodleian Library in Oxford.

Since the age of eight, he had been an enthusiastic and talented violinist, and became actively involved in the musical activities of the city and the university.

For many years he helped to run the Lincoln College concerts, and was closely involved in the University Orchestra for more than 25 years.

In 1979, he was awarded an honorary degree of Master of Arts by Oxford University.