The Rare Book & Manuscript Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the largest repositories for rare books and manuscripts in the United States. The collections—nearly half a million volumes and three kilometers of manuscript material—are strong in the broad areas of literature, history, art, theology, philosophy, technology, and the natural sciences. Particular strengths lie in early printing (over 1100 incunabula) and imprints from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with English literature, works by Shakespeare, various important editions of the Bible, and renaissance school books standing out as distinctive and deep collections. Also noteworthy are collections in the history of science and technology and the history of economics. The Library is renowned for its collection of emblem books and for its extensive holdings of works by and about John Milton. A special emphasis of the Library’s collections is drama, from neo-Latin plays to twentieth-century set and costume design. Modern literary archival material includes the papers of H.G. Wells, Carl Sandburg, and W.S. Merwin, letters of Marcel Proust, and various archival collections associated with such figures as Anthony Trollope, John Ruskin, Grant Richards, William Allingham, Richard Bentley, Benjamin Disraeli, Lewis Carroll, and John Richardson.
Terms of use
The Rare Book & Manuscript Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has graciously contributed images from its collections to Shakespeare Documented and retains sole ownership of said images. Visitors may download, link to, and cite the images within Shakespeare Documented in personal research and for non-commercial use. Any further use, including, but not limited to, commercial use or distribution of the images is strictly prohibited. Visitors must contact The Rare Book & Manuscript Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to request such additional use at: askacurator@illinois.edu
