William Reade (sometimes Rede; died 1385) was a medieval Bishop of Chichester. Reade was brought up, from boyhood to maturity, by his friend and protégé Nicholas of Sandwich. He was then educated at Exeter College, Oxford and elected from it to a fellowship at Merton College, Oxford where astronomy, mathematics and natural philosophy (science) flourished. He collected what was probably the largest private library in 14th-century England, and was one of the university's greatest benefactors. Reade wished to provide resources for Oxford scholars as there was no University library at the time, Reade donated and bequeathed some 350 volumes to the libraries at Merton, Exeter, Balliol, Oriel, Queen's, and New Colleges, Oxford. Reade also provided a large sum of money to support the building of t