German Life and Letters 62:1 January 2009 0016–8777 (print); 1468–0483 (online) GEOFFREY PATRICK GUYTON BUTLER (1929–2008) AXEL GOODBODY Geoffrey Butler died on 20 July 2008, in Bath, after a lengthy illness, aged 79. The news of his passing will have been received with great sadness by the many colleagues and students who came into contact with him during the course of his distinguished career, for he is remembered not only with admiration and gratitude as a scholar and teacher, but also with great af- fection, as a man of singular kindness and generosity. Geoff combined his erudition with personal modesty, concern for others, respect for their opi- nions, and a commitment to fairness that invariably earned him the trust and friendship of those he worked with. Born on 7 July 1929 in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, Geoff received his early schooling in London and (as a result of wartime evacuation) in Devon. His father had travelled frequently on business to Australia and New Zealand, and his mother was Australian. After the war, Geoff moved to New Zealand, following in the footsteps of his older brother, who was la- ter to become Associate Professor of French at the University of Auckland. He took a B.A. (First Class) in French and German at the University of New Zealand (Auckland University College) in 1949, and an M.A. in German in 1950. He returned to Europe to take up a scholarship for study at the University of Heidelberg, and subsequently worked as an Instructor at the C  The author 2009. Journal compilation C  Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2009 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.