Subject strengths: General, Book History

The Rare Books collection is miscellaneous but literature and local history are two of the collections strengths. Items date from the mid-Sixteenth Century to the present day (facsimile of The Arundel Choirbook, 2003). Particularly notable items include a German propaganda sheet which was dropped on England in 1940: Adolf Hitler, A last appeal to reason; Edward Jenner's Inquiry into the causes and effects of the variolæ vaccinæ (1798); various works by Charles Dickens which remain in their original serialised parts, complete with paper wrappers; herbals by Elizabeth Blackwell (1739) and Nicholas Culpepper (1802); a volume of printed ephemera, broadsides, posters and cartoons referring to elections in Northumberland, Newcastle and Tyneside divisions, including cartoons of Joseph Cowen (1826-1931) as well as some English Revolution (or Civil War) tracts and the manuscript Design no. 11 - Plans, specifications and estimates for building a chapel in the township of St. John, Newcastle upon Tyne by John Dobson (1840). 

 

Collection Name and Collection Reference Code:

Collection Name: Rare Books

Library Search Collection Ref Code: RB

Date Range of Material

1541 - 2003

Type of Material

Rare Book Collection

Size of Collection

53.5 Linear Metres of shelving 

How To Order Items From This Collection

The books within this collection are described within the Newcastle University Library Search and can be ordered directly from the catalogue.

This link to the Library Search will show a list of all the items within the collection. Please note this link is available to members of the public as well as University staff and students.

You can then place your order by linking to our Request Form. 

Unable to visit our Reading Room?

If you are unable to visit our reading room, we also have a virtual reading room service and a digitisation service. 

Other Resources

Material from this collection was used in our Treasures of the Month feature for April 2007, May 2008, June 2008, April 2010, September 2010, June 2011, November 2011, July 2012, October 2012, January 2013 and June 2015.