Dunedin-born, Prof Paulin attended Otago Boys' High School and later gained MA (Hons) qualifications in German and French at Otago, which was then part of the University of New Zealand.
He left New Zealand in 1960, undertook further study in Germany, and pursued an academic career as a German scholar and teacher in Britain, working at various times at Cambridge University for about 30 years, including at his retirement.
Prof Paulin still lives in Cambridge, England, but returns to Dunedin regularly, keeping in touch with relatives.
He visited the Otago University central library yesterday to donate the rare book, a 1724 edition of a Greek classical text On the Sublime.
It is believed to be the only copy of this edition held at any New Zealand public library.
Prof Paulin bought the book for two guineas from a bookshop in Bristol in 1966.
The gift was "a token of thanks", given his earlier close involvement with the university, where he had also studied Latin.
He also donated three more books to the university's Hocken Library yesterday.
Emeritus Prof John Barsby, former head of the Otago classics department, helped co-ordinate the classics gift.
Dr Donald Kerr, the central library special exhibitions librarian, yesterday paid tribute to "the public spiritedness of individuals" who had given books and other items for wider use by students, staff and the wider community.
At least 50% of the 28,000 volumes in the special collections had been donated.
Prof Paulin's "fantastic" gift followed in a "long and honorable tradition" of many previous donors, including A.H. Reed, the de Beer family, Charles Brasch and Emeritus Prof Fred Fastier, the latter having recently donated more than 1000 science-fiction books.
