Rare books
Introduction
Our rare book collections include early printed books from the handpress era (pre-1851), private press books, modern literary first editions and other printed material. Subject strengths include the history of science, children's literature, publishing and printing history as well as literature, classics and history.
Our collections can be used to support teaching and learning at undergraduate and postgraduate levels as well as providing a mine of information and primary sources for researchers. They can be consulted in the Special Collections Services reading room.
The library of the Museum of English Rural Life also contains a number of rare books, and a selection of rare agricultural books were the focus of an exhibition at the Special Collections Services.
Principal rare book collections
- Children's Collection of books for children
- Cole Library of early medicine and zoology
- Finzi Book Room, the literature collection of composer Gerald Finzi
- Overstone Library, a fine 19th century private library
- Printing Collection of books of artefactual interest
- Reserve Collection, a general collection of early, rare, or valuable books and journals
- Stenton Library, the working library of medieval historians Sir Frank and Lady Doris Stenton
Other printed collections
- Baron Collection of 19th century lithographed music
- Beckett Collection, including books by and about Samuel Beckett
- Bee Collection including the Cotton-Bee Collection and other books about bees and apiculture
- Brock Collection of the work of the illustrator H.M. Brock
- Coburn Collection of books illustrated by photographer Alvin Coburn
- Cowie Collection of books about embroidery
- Crusoe Collection of editions of Daniel Defoe's novel
- Gaberbocchus Press Collection of books printed by this press
- Gibbings Collection of the work of wood-engraver Robert Gibbings
- Golden Head Press Collection of books printed by this press
- Donald Gordon Collection of books by and about W.B. Yeats
- Great Exhibition Collection of material from the Great Exhibition of 1851
- Hale White Collection of books by and about Mark Rutherford
- Harris Collection of books about palaeobotany
- Hawkins Collection of books on early geology and palaeontology
- John Hetherington Collection of books in the 'Readers' Library' series
- Mark Longman Library of books about books
- Elkin Mathews Collection of books collected by Charles Elkin Mathews
- Matthews-Shelley Collection of books by and about P.B. Shelley
- Neville Collection of books on mathematics
- O'Donoghue Collection of material on Opisthobranchia
- Pamphlet Books Collection of 18th and 19th century pamphlets
- Parish libraries: Abingdon Parish Library, Buckland Parish Library, Didcot Parish Library, Henley Parish Library
- Various Printed ephemera collections
- Sowerby Collection of stud posters and cards
- Spellman Collection of Victorian music covers
- Turner Collection of French Revolution pamphlets
- Two Rivers Press Collection of books printed by this local press
- Tyler-Liebig Collection of material by and about German chemist Justus von Liebig
- Wain Collection of material by English writer John Wain
- Wizard of Oz Collection of editions of L. Frank Baum's children's novels
- Yannopoulos Collection of material about the Greek military dictatorship
Using our rare books
Our printed collections are available to all researchers to consult at in the Special Collections Services reading room.
We recommend that you contact us in advance of your visit with details of the documents and items that you wish to see as most material is on closed access. Items on Unicorn can be requested online.
Catalogues
Most of the books and other printed materials are catalogued, either on Unicorn or in the Online Card Catalogue.
More detailed information about the individual collections is available from the links above.