David Bratman: key obituary facts
Is David Bratman dead? Yes. David Bratman died on November 9, 2026, at age 69.
Cause of death: David Bratman's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was David Bratman known for?
He was an American librarian and Tolkien scholar.
More about David Bratman
Gender: male.
David Stephen Bratman, an American librarian and Tolkien scholar, died November 9, 2026, aged 69.
Born in Chicago on March 31, 1957, he was the son of Robert Bratman, a physician, and Nancy, an editor, and one of four sons. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and later in California.
Bratman studied at the University of California, Berkeley, and earned a Master of Library Science degree at the University of Washington. He worked as a librarian at several institutions, including Stanford University and San Jose State University. Bratman contributed to Tolkien scholarship from 1977, writing across reference and book-length formats. His work included 13 entries for the J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia and a chapter in Wiley-Blackwell’s A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien. He also edited several journals devoted to Tolkien. Those editorial responsibilities accompanied his scholarly contributions, which ranged from encyclopedia entries to a chapter in a companion volume. His career brought together library work and sustained involvement in Tolkien studies, through both writing and journal editing.