Printed Books
The book collections contain more than 100 000 volumes including many of the landmark texts in Classical and English literature, history, architecture, medicine, science and travel.
- The book collections include:
- named and subject collections described separately
- books arranged by date - incunables and books printed 1501-1536, and books and pamphlets printed between 1537 and 1909 (at classmarks SPEC Y53-Y90)
- books arranged by subject and provenance - classmarks SPEC G-R, (including medical books at M-P) and SPEC S/ (including private press books at S/Z, and modern literary texts at S/PR-PS, for example the Ted Hughes collection).
The collections include many limited editions and private press books, and examples of Liverpool printers and authors; they are also rich in the publications of nineteenth century printing clubs, particularly the Bannatyne Club of Edinburgh and the Maitland Club of Glasgow, which are a major source for Scottish literature and history, but also the Roxburghe Club of London, the Spenser Society of Manchester, and the Newcastle Typographical Society.
Books with particularly fine bindings and illustrations, or interesting associations, are found throughout the printed collections. Many of these have been given, either individually or as part of a larger library, by generous benefactors of the University, including the outstanding gifts of the Rathbone family, Sir Charles Sydney Jones and the family of Professor Lyon Blease.
See Printed Book collection in the Highlights gallery
- Travels with Byron: A Journey through Albania 1813 (pdf)
- The Ancient Wrasse: marine biology
- Christmas gifts: some 19th century illustrated books
- In praise of turnips: The first book on Sheep (1749)
- Christmas 1858 in the Illustrated London News
- 1831 views on the Liverpool to Manchester railway
- Alpine plants illustrated: Botanical books