Skip Navigation Links The Library of Congress >> Researchers
Rare Book & Special Collections Reading Room (Library of Congress)
  Home >> Special Collections

Selected Special Collections

  • Dime Novel Collection: Popular paperback fiction, nineteenth century, (40,000 titles).
  • Charles Dickens Collection: First editions of Charles Dickens' works included in the Leonard Kebler gift, (dispersed in the Division's collection).
  • Larry Dingman Collection: Documents the rise of American Western fiction and the cowboy novel.
  • Documents of the First Fourteen Congresses: Congressional documents, 1789-1817, (12,922 titles).
  • Lester Douglas Collection: Printed material designed and donated by Lester Douglas, (98 items).
  • Wilberforce Eames Collection: Nineteenth-century religious tracts in various languages (i.e., Tamal and Bulgarian), (103 items).
  • Early Bulgarian Imprint Collection: Bulgarian-language publications, nineteenth century.
  • Early Copyright Records Collection: U. S. copyright registers and accession records, 1790-1870, (615 titles, 44,032 title pages).
  • Early Printing Collection: Books printed between 1501 and 1520, (462 titles).
  • Ediciones Vigía Collection: Cuban book art, 1985, (156 titles).
  • Eistophos Science Club Archive: Records of the Washington based organization for the promotion of women in the science, 1909-1940s.
  • Harrison Elliott Collection: Paper specimens, personal papers and research material relating to the history of papermaking, (4,500 specimens and 5,800 secondary sources).
  • Ralph Ellison Library: The personal library of Ralph Ellison, (1914-1994).
  • English Literature Collection: Selected Literature from the Bertram Dobell Collection, (1,600 titles).
  • George Fabyan Collection: Early editions of works of seventeenth-century English literature, publications relating to cryptography, (1,550 titles).
  • Charles Feinberg-Whitman Collection: Early editions of Walt Whitman's works, (488 titles).
  • Fine Bindings File: Books noted for their fine bindings, (20 titles).
  • Herman Finkelstein Collection: Twentieth-century American literature, (300 titles).
  • Peter Force Library: Early American imprints and incunabula.
  • Fore-Edge File: Books with paintings on the fore-edge, (44 titles dispersed in the division's collection).
  • Foreign Almanac Collection: Almanacs printed in various countries, with the majority from England, (672 titles).
  • Benjamin Franklin Collection: Papers and publications of Benjamin Franklin, (850 titles).
  • Franklin Book Program Collection: Archival set of Franklin Program publications of American books translated into Middle Eastern and Asian languages, (3,980 titles in remote storage).
  • Sigmund Freud Collection: Early editions of Freud's writings, (187 titles).
  • Roy J. Friedman Mark Twain Collection: Manuscripts, first editions, pirated editions, and other material by and relating to Mark Twain, (450 items).
  • Grabhorn Press: Fine Arts Press of Edwin and Robert Grabhorn, (approximately 75 items).
  • Grenfell Press Archive Collection, 1979-1992. Chronicles the book production, publicity, and business transactions associated with the Grenfell Press.
  • Edward Gorey Collection: The works and ephemera of Edward Gorey, (802 items).
  • Frederic W. Goudy Collection: Personal library, papers, and publications of type designer Frederic Goudy, (2,499 items).
  • Gryphius Collection: Books printed by Sebastianus Gryphius in Lyons in the sixteenth century, (135 titles).
  • Louise Imogen Guiney Collection: Late nineteenth-century works by this American poet and essayist, (95 titles).
  • Victor Hammer Collection: The archives of the typographer, painter, and sculptor, (over 50 archival boxes).
  • Hawaiian Imprint Collection: Hawaiian publications, nineteenth century, (353 volumes).
  • Henry Harisse Collection: Publications, papers, and maps pertaining to the early exploration of America, (414 items).
  • Jean Hersholt Collections: Early editions of Hans Christian Andersen's writings and his papers; first editions of the writings of Hugh Walpole and Sinclair Lewis and related papers, (963 items).
  • Martin F. Hertz Gift: World War II propaganda ephemera, (2 scrapbooks).
  • Frank J. Hogan Collection: Instructional texts, early nineteenth-century paperbound books, and rare juvenile American publications, (86 titles).
  • Oliver Wendell Holmes: Book and print collection of the Holmes family, (12,126 items).
  • Harry Houdini Collection: Publications, scrapbooks, and other material relating to spiritualism and magic, (10,355 items).
  • House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC) Collection: Pamphlets collected by HUAC, many of which the committee deemed "un-American." (4,000 pamphlets).
  • Incunabula Collection: Books printed between 1455 and 1501, (3,797 titles).
  • International Mark Twain Society Collection: Publications from the International Mark Twain Society, (729 items).
  • Washington Irving's Works: Rare editions of Washington Irving's works donated by Leonard Kebler, (dispersed in the division's collection).
  • Henry James Collection: Early editions of James' writings, (132 titles).
  • Janus Press Collection: Archival materials relating to book production by Claire Van Vliet at the Janus Press, (1,000 items).
  • Thomas Jefferson Collection: Thomas Jefferson book collection, (2,375 titles).
  • Juvenile Collection: Children's books dating from the early eighteenth century to the present, (18,200 items).
  • Rudyard Kipling Collections: Early editions of Rudyard Kipling's writings; related papers and research materials, (5,089 items).
  • Jay I. Kislak Collection: Rare books, maps, manuscripts, historic documents, artifacts and works of art related to early American History. (over 3,000 items).
  • Hans P. and Hanni Kraus Collection: Early books, manuscripts, maps, and memorabilia related to the explorations of Sir Francis Drake, 60 items).
  • L.C. Archival Collection: Library of Congress publications, (10,000 items).
  • Lincoln Collection: Publications given to the Library by the descendants of Abraham Lincoln, (64 titles).
  • Little Blue Book Collection: Archival set of Little Blue Books, (853 titles).
  • Francis Longe Collection: Published theatrical works in English, 1607-1812, (331 titles).
  • Martin Luther Collection: Early works attributed to Martin Luther, (285 titles).
  • M & S Collection: Twentieth-century radical publications, (10,000 items).
  • James Madison Pamphlet Collection: Pamphlets and broadsides relating to James Madison, (6 portfolios).
  • Manuscript Plays Collection: American play typescripts submitted for copyright deposit in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, (3,062 typescripts).
  • The Rouben Mamoulian Collection: A collection of theater, film and concert programs for performances in New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, London, England and other locations.
  • McGuffey Reader Collection: Children's textbooks designed to teach language skills and morals, (314 titles).
  • McManus-Young Collection: Publications and pictorial material relating to magic, magical apparatus, (673 items).
  • Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts Collection: Pre-1601 western manuscripts, (158 titles).
  • Kirkor Minassian Collection: Islamic bookbindings.
  • Miniature Book Collection: Books ten centimeters or less in height, (1,596 titles).
  • Miscellaneous Bound Pamphlets Collection: Seventeenth-through nineteenth-century pamphlets, mostly in English, (30,000 pamphlets).
  • E. B. Mitchell Collection of Theatrical Programs: A collection of miscellaneous theater programs for performances in Boston, Brooklyn, New York and Washington, D.C.
  • William Morris and Kelmscott Press Collection: Imprints from the Kelmscott Press printed by William Morris, (170 titles).
  • Daniel Murray Pamphlet Collection: Pamphlets on African American history, 1850-1920, (384 pamphlets).
  • NAWSA, (National American Woman Suffrage Association) Collection: The Library and papers of seminal NAWSA suffragists, (575 titles).
  • NEA Small Press Collection: Archival collection of modern small press publications funded by grants awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts Literature Program, (2,500 items).
  • Edward Newton Collection: Material from the library of A. Edward Newton, (94 titles).
  • Patent Office Deposit Collection: Publications deposited by the Patent Office, (88 titles).
  • Elizabeth Robins Pennell Collection: Graphic art, papers, and cookbook collection of Elizabeth Robins Pennell, (732 titles).
  • Plotchev Collection: Early imprints in Bulgarian, (635 titles).
  • Poetry Collection: Presentation and limited edition copies of works of poetry formerly housed in the Poetry Office, (733 titles).
  • Poetry Ephemera Collection: Modern poetry published as ephemera, (22 items).
  • The Portuguese Pamphlets: Documents relating to 19th century Portugual, (3,100 pieces in 62 cases).
  • Miscellany found with Post-World War II posters from Germany: Individual envelopes with typewritten captions of miscellaneous materials found among Third Reich Collection World War II era posters.
  • Pre-1801 Imprint Collection: Books printed before 1801 originally assigned to the Library's general collection and transferred to the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, (42,000 titles).
  • Presidents' Books Collection: Personal or autographed books of United States Presidents, (200 titles dispersed throughout the division's collection).
  • Press Collection: Works of selected modern British and American private presses, (3,500 titles).
  • Printed Ephemera Collection: Posters, playbills, songsheets, notices, invitations, proclamations, petitions, timetables, leaflets, propaganda, manifestos, ballots, tickets, menus, and business cards, (over 28,000 items with 10,172 available online).
  • Pulp Fiction Collection: Popular American fiction magazines, 1920s-1950s, (277 titles).
  • Radical Pamphlets Collection: Pamphlets, broadsides, and memorabilia concerning American communism, anarchism, and socialism, 1870-1980 (especially 1930-1949), (2,000 items).
  • Reformation Collection: Publications Relating to the Reformation, sixteenth century, (192 titles).
  • Reserve Storage Collection: Late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century English-language material submitted as copyright deposits, (7,000 items).
  • Reserve Storage Drama Collection: English-language plays and playbills from 1865 to 1900, (5,831 items).
  • Bruce Rogers Collection: Books designed by Bruce Rogers and his personal papers, 34,000 items and 20 boxes of proofs, typefaces, etc.).
  • Franklin Delano Roosevelt Collection: Material concerning Franklin Delano Roosevelt, (254 titles).
  • Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection: The illustrated book, fifteenth through twentieth centuries.
  • Roycrofters Collection: Books published at the Roycrofter colony founded by Elbert Hubbard, (97 items).
  • Russian Imperial Collection: Books from the libraries of the Russian imperial family, (2,600 titles).
  • Theodore Roosevelt Hunting Library: Publications on hunting, natural history, and exploration, 13 titles).
  • Saint Mark's Poetry Project Collection: Ephemeral publications and audio poetry readings, (over 1,000 items).
  • Seaside Library Collection: Folio Collections including 2,500 popular titles from the 19th century published in inexpensive serial form by George Munro.
  • Shaker Collection: Shaker literature donated by J. P. A. MacLean, (487 items).
  • Shakespeare Folio Collection: Shakespeare's First, Second, Third, and Fourth Folios, (6 titles).
  • Early Spanish American Imprints: Early books from various Latin American countries.
  • Special Format Collection: Custodial collection of items which, because of their unusual format, are housed in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, (5,000 titles).
  • State House and Senate Documents: Journals, proceedings, and other documents of the states from the colonial period to the mid-nineteenth century, (2,200 items).
  • Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana: Publications, manuscripts, prints, and other material relating to Abraham Lincoln, (11,100 items).
  • Stone and Kimball Collection: Late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century publications of Stone and Kimball, (182 titles).
  • "T.C." Collection: Early works of Theodore Dreiser collected by Walter N. Tobriner and presented to Roger S. Cohen, (115 titles).
  • Tabard Inn Library Collection: Late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century imprints from the Tabard Inn Library, a circulating library, (87 items).
  • John Boyd Thacher Collection: Incunabula, early Americana, material pertaining to the French Revolution, autographs, (5,193 items).
  • Prentiss Taylor Collection: African American and twentieth-century literature.
  • Theater Playbills Collection: Nineteenth-century English-language playbills, (3,253 items).
  • The Third Reich Collection: Publications and photographs from the libraries of Nazi leaders, (1,019 titles).
  • Thompson Chesson Scrapbooks: 19 scrapbooks related to the abolition of slavery.
  • Gaston and Albert Tissandier Collection: Publications relating to the history of aeronautics, (1,800 titles dispersed in the collection).
  • Raymond Toinet Collection: Early editions of French literary works, (2,500 titles dispersed in the collection).
  • Joseph Meredith Toner Collection: Publications and papers relating to the history of American medicine, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; early American Imprints, (30,851 titles, 7,739 pamphlets).
  • Mark Twain Collection: Rare Twain manuscripts and books donated by Mrs. Frances R. Friedman, (450 items).
  • Unclassified Collection: Nineteenth and twentieth century English-language material, (5,607 items).
  • Underground Movement Collection: World War II resistance material, (16,162 items).
  • Jules Verne Collection: Early editions of Jules Verne's writings collected by Willis E. Hurd, (146 titles).
  • Otto Vollbehr Collection: Incunabula, (3,114 titles).
  • Wagner-Camp Collection: Western Americana selected from Henry Wagner's bibliography, The Plains and the Rockies, (451 titles).
  • George Washington Collection: Autographed copies of books belonging to Washington, (40 titles).
  • Wertham Collection: Publications primarily related to psychology, (10,000 unprocessed items).
  • Walt Whitman Collection: Early editions of Walt Whitman's writings, (516 titles).
  • Woodrow Wilson Library: Books and personal mementos of Woodrow Wilson, (9,136 items).
  • World War II Propaganda Collection: Propaganda material distributed in Europe during World War II, (6,700 items).
  • YA Pamphlet Collection: Nineteenth-century congressional documents; nineteenth-century English-language pamphlets; and European imprints from the sixteenth century onward, (25,290 items).
  • Yudin Collection: Publications relating to Russian history, bibliography, and literature, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; pictorial material; papers of the Russian American Company, (4,173 titles).

  Top of Page
Top of Page

  Home >> Special Collections
  The Library of Congress >> Researchers
  November 15, 2019
Legal | External Link Disclaimer

Contact Us:  
Ask a Librarian