Rare Book Division

The Rare Book Division holds approximately 350,000 rare and historically significant printed books in Western languages dating from the 15th century down to the present. The Division is especially strong in classical  texts, early modern European imprints in all fields, American history and literature, English history and literature, French literature and history, angling and sporting books and, to a lesser extent, in other literatures such as German, Italian, Irish, selected Continental, and Latin American. 

Strengths in genres of book history include: annotated books, association copies, books with significant provenance, broadsides, chapbooks, dime novels, emblem books, ephemera, extra-illustrated books, historic bindings, illustrated books, incunabula, limited editions, little magazines, pamphlets, presentation copies, publisher's prosectuses, and story papers.

Moreover, in addition to the large general rare book collection, there are more than 35 named collections. Among those of special note are the Morris L. Parrish Collection of Victorian Novelists, the Howard Behrman Collection of American Literature, the Miriam Y. Holden Collection on American Women, the Grenville Kane Collection of Americana, the Robert H. Taylor Collection of English literature, the Lapidus Collection on Liberty and the American Revolution, and the Junius Spencer Morgan Collection of Virgil.  Current collecting adds selectively not only to the general rare book collection but also to the named collections. As well, a recent focus is on materials relating to modern Greece in support of the University's program in Hellenic Studies. In addition, Leonard L. Milberg, Class of 1953, provides ongoing funds to build several collections relating to Irish literature, Jewish-American writers, and American poetry.