Secondary Collecting Areas

• American Literary Historiography
• Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies
• British History
• British Literature
• Emblem Books
• German Studies
• Italian Studies
• Judaic Studies
• Utopian Literature

The library also acquires materials in the following subject areas.

American Literary Historiography

Existing Collection Strengths: Papers of literary scholars, organizations, and projects associated with the creation and development of the academic discipline of American literature.

Current Collecting Focuses: Records of recent anthology and history projects, papers of scholars active since the 1950s, who have significantly influenced directions in the field.

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Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies

Existing Collection Strengths: Ancient Egyptian papyri in various languages and covering various topics; 9th to 17th century Greek manuscripts in the areas of theology and classical literature, among others; Medieval Latin manuscripts; Renaissance Bibles.

Current Collecting Focuses: Greek manuscripts, as above.

British History

Existing Collection Strengths: Personal and family papers; 17th to 19th-century political pamphlets; materials included under Religion in Britain (see above) and British Literature (see below) collecting areas.

Current Collecting Focuses: Manuscript diaries and substantive collections of manuscripts concerning British-U.S. connections, the lives of women, and Africa and the African diaspora.

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British Literature

Existing Collection Strengths: Early editions of works by and some manuscript materials relating to major 17th- and 18th-century authors; Romantic-era poets; 19th-century authors such as Thomas Carlyle, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Charles Dickens; 20th-century authors including John Buchan, H. Ryder Haggard, H.E. Bates, and Sir Leslie Stephen; 18th- to 20th-century drama.

Current Collecting Focuses: Works by English Romantic poets; Alexander Pope; Joseph Conrad; John Buchan; H. Ryder Haggard; and 18th and 19th-century women writers.

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Emblem Books

Existing Collection Strengths: Books in German, Dutch, Italian, French, English, and Latin.

Current Collecting Focuses: German, Dutch, or English books, relatively rare works.

German Studies

Existing Collection Strengths: 16th to 18th-century printed works on various topics; the Harold Jantz Collection of Baroque literature; Jantz collections of 18th to 20th-century works by and about Germans in America, and works about America published in Germany; Nazi-era printed works.

Current Collecting Focuses: Baroque literature; German Americana; Nazi materials.

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Italian Studies

Existing Collection Strengths: incunabula (especially Venetian); Renaissance studies; 19th and 20th-century Dante studies; 18th-century Italian theater; opera libretti; 19th-century poetry; 19th-century political and social history; Fascist-era materials; the Guido Mazzoni Collection of political pamphlets and per nozze wedding materials.

Current Collecting Focuses: Fascist-era materials; materials complementing the Mazzoni collection.

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Judaic Studies

Existing Collection Strengths: Theological and liturgical printed works, including Passover Haggadot; art books.

Current Collecting Focuses: Haggadot; artists books with Jewish themes.

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Utopian Literature

Definition of Utopian Literature: fictionalized accounts of idealized states or communities emphasizing political structure

Existing Collection Strengths: 16th- to 20th-century works from Western Europe and the Americas.

Current Collecting Focuses: Rare works with the above parameters.

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