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There is an excellent short biography of John Harvard in American National Biography Online, and you can read a catalog of John Harvard's books compiled by Alfred C. Potter, published by The Colonial Society of Massachusetts.
In November 1938, the Harvard Alumni Bulletin (volume 42, pages 241-248) published an article by Henry J. Cadbury, "What Happened to John Harvard's Books?" You can consult it in Widener, call number EducU 4810.1135, and at other Harvard Libraries.
See also, "The Tale of John Harvard's Surviving Book," from the November 2007 issue of Harvard University Library Notes.
If you have additional questions, please contact the Harvard University Archives.
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