Outline of Leo Jolley's holotheme

Most of us knew Leo Jolley at Aslib or through his writings only, so we are grateful to Kevin Jones for telling us of his career. We are not surprised, because Jolley's own presentations made it clear that they arose from long experience and deep thinking. Here lies my difficulty. It is my task to outline his theory the of holotheme, but no one could do it better than he nor, indeed, as well. So I will recommend to you his contribution in absentia to the Ottawa Conference of 1971. Admittedly his writings are concentrated. He had what is sometimes called the mathematician's approach to prose. The writing is coherent, but every sentence is meant to mean something and something different. This leads to clarity, but it does demand attention and thought. His style certainly sharpens his arguments and the impact of his apt and often witty examples. I will indicate in what field of endeavour his work lies, and then go over the salient features of his grand design.