Research Guides: History of the Book: Rare Books Collection

About the Rare Books Collection

Literature and Rare Books Collections in Special Collections and University Archives are a rich resource open to students, researchers, and the general public.

Rare Books in Hornbake Library contain works dating from the 15th century to the present. These books, pamphlets, and other printed materials cover a wide range of topics, including history, literature, politics, science, and the history of the book. Modernism, Victorian, Early Modern, and Romantic literary genres are well represented.

Literary Manuscript collections contains photographs, correspondence, ephemera, and other primary source materials documenting the life and work of authors, editors, and literary organizations.

Rare Book Collections

With materials ranging from a hobbyists collection to a press operated by Benedictine nuns, these volumes cover a wide range of topics related to the impact of the printed book in society.

French Pamphlet Collection
The French Pamphlet Collection contains approximately 12,000 pieces dating from 1620 to 1966, covering many key episodes in the history of France. The largest part of the collection is made up of 7000 pamphlets from the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras, 1788-1815. In addition to the Revolutionary era, major strengths in the collection include pamphlets produced during the Fronde (1649-1652), as well as 19th century French plays.
Maurice Annenberg Collection
Maurice Annenberg (1907-1979) was a noted Baltimore printer and typography historian. The Maurice Annenberg Collection consists of Mr. Annenberg's personal library, which supported his interest in typography and the history of the printed book.
Private Press Collection
A listing of the Private Press companies, and the associated books, held in the Rare Books Collection at the University of Maryland Libraries.
Stanbrook Abbey Press Collection
The Stanbrook Abbey Press Collection consists of approximately 300 items, including books, booklets, and ephemera printed at the Press. The collection also includes original drawings, manuscript leaves, and individual specimen sheets of printing, most of which are either mounted, in paper folders, or framed. Many of the items are religious texts, and are in English or Latin. The collection contains works covering the period from its first printed work in 1876 up to 1978.
The Carolyn Davis Collection of Louisa May Alcott
The Carolyn Davis Collection consists of more than 300 books by and about Louisa May Alcott. This collection has representative examples of almost all of Alcott's most popular works as well as a number of her lesser-known writings. Among these titles are her first book Flower Fables (1854), early to modern printings of Little Women, and a number of other works such as Little Men, Jo's Boys, and Under the Lilacs.
The Dr. George Levitine Collection
The Dr. George Levitine Collection consists of more than 2,000 volumes belonging to the late Dr. Levitine, a distinguished scholar of art history and founding chair of the Department of Art History at the University of Maryland. The Rare Books department received several hundred works dating from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
The R.D. Remley Collection
The collection of this hobby printer includes 1,500 volumes of books, serials and ephemera related to all aspects of book making.
The Rose and Joseph Pagnani Collection of Girls' Series Books
Girls' series books provide strong role models for girls through captivating stories and memorable characters. This collection includes 300 books from 33 different series, dating from 1917-1980. The bulk of the collection's dates range from the 1930s through the 1960s.
The William Morris Collection
William Morris (1834-1896) was a British poet, designer, artist-craftsman, typographer, preservationist, early environmentalist, socialist, and business owner. The William Morris collection is a comprehensive research tool for studying Morris’ work as a typographer and book designer, and for examining the development of late nineteenth-century illustration and design.
Turret Press Collection
Turret Press was a small press located in London, England. Founded in 1965, it specialized in publishing a limited edition series of booklets of contemporary poets. The Turret Press Collection covers the period from 1965 to 1975. Authors in the Turret Collection include Lawrence Durrel, Dylan Thomas, Henry Miller, Alfred Perles, and George MacBeth.
W. A. Dwiggins Collection
William Addison Dwiggins (1880-1956) was a type designer, book designer, calligrapher, illustrator, and writer. The collection includes over 150 volumes including ephemera of books designed, written, and illustrated by Dwiggins as well as works written about him. The collection contains work from as early as 1902 and as recent as 1987.

Incunabula Collection on Flickr

Incunable leaves, codices, and books are wonderful examples of the craft and artistry of the early years of printing. These materials illustrate the techniques of early Western printing as it developed from the fifteenth century onwards.

Visit the Maryland Room in Hornbake Library North for more information on incunable codices, leaf books, and leaf collections that are available in Special Collections and University Archives.

Explore our collection of incunabula leaves on Flickr.