Rare Books & Manuscripts Collections
Rare Books
Special Collections & University Archives houses over 11,000 volumes and contains items ranging in age from 4000 year-old cuneiform clay tablets to twenty-first century fine press printings. Thanks to generous donations and the accumulated collecting of almost 200 years, the rare book collections cover a variety of eras across many literary movements and contain many unique treasures, such as a sixteenth century book of hours, the first four folios of Shakespeare, and a growing collection of miniature religious texts. To explore the rare book collections, search the library’s online catalog or contact the Special Collections Librarian for more information.
Collection Strengths include:
- Christian Bibles in various languages
- Shakespeare
- 17th century British Literature
- 19th century American literature
- Arts and Crafts private presses
- Late 19th century periodicals
- Pulp science-fiction magazines from the 1930s-1960s
- World War I propaganda posters
- World War II propaganda posters
Select Literary Collections:
- Henry A. Colgate collection of Joseph Conrad
- Richard S. Weiner collection of George Bernard Shaw
- Powys family collection
- Earl Daniels collection of T.S. Eliot
- Elmer Sheets collection of James Joyce
- George Gissing collection
- John Masefield collection
Manuscripts
In addition to rare books, Special Collections also contains a number of manuscript collections. Manuscripts, at their most basic definition, are documents written by hand. In addition to handwritten correspondence, diaries, and personal ephemera, manuscript collections can contain edited typescripts, page proofs, pamphlets, newspaper articles, interviews, photographs, and other various realia. Our collections are divided into three categories: Literary Manuscripts, Historical Collections, and Personal Papers.
