Rare Book Collections
The Rare Book Room opened in 1962 with funding and rare books from the estate of George Meissner. Before Meissner’s gift, WashU Libraries owned a small rare book collection, many of which had been donated by William K. Bixby. The Rare Book Collections now include over 70,000 printed pieces.
The Rare Book Collections cover a wide range of subjects that complement books held in other collecting areas. The Collections’ primary strengths are in literature, the material culture of the book and printing, and aspects of American and world history. This includes graphic design, book arts, children’s literature, movable books, miniature books, printed works of art, and manuscript collections related to subjects in the Rare Book Collections.
These collections span seven centuries of written and visual communication. They support teaching and discovery across WashU and are freely accessible to students, scholars, and visiting researchers.
The website features named Collections, but Rare Books also includes individual items that are not part of a named collection and can be browsed through the online catalog.
The Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library, East Asian Library, Bernard Becker Medical Library, and WashU Law Library all house and administer additional collections of rare materials, separately from the Julian Edison Department of Special Collections.
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Collection Isador Mendle Memorial Collection
The collection focuses on developments in printing since the Industrial Revolution with an emphasis on the last 100 years.View Collection about Isador Mendle Memorial Collection -
Collection James E. and Joan Singer Schiele Print Collection
This Collection contains Civil War prints and other historical images with a special highlight on thirty-six Kurz & Allison prints.View Collection about James E. and Joan Singer Schiele Print Collection -
Collection Philip Mills Arnold Semeiology Collection
The Collection is concerned with the history of communications and includes materials from 1490 to the present, ranging in subject...View Collection about Philip Mills Arnold Semeiology Collection -
Collection Shimeon Brisman Collection in Jewish Studies
The Brisman Collection in Jewish Studies was purchased by Washington University in 1972. Half of the volumes are in Hebrew;...View Collection about Shimeon Brisman Collection in Jewish Studies -
Collection Julian and Hope Edison Collection of Miniature Books
Julian and Hope Edison Collection of miniature books includes over 3,500 titles.View Collection about Julian and Hope Edison Collection of Miniature Books
Collecting Areas
Digital Collections
Digital Collections highlight those portions of the Julian Edison Department of Special Collections that have been made or born-digital.
Dowd Illustration Research Archive
The Dowd Illustration Research Archive (DIRA) at WashU includes original art and printed material from many popular American pictorial graphic culture fields.
East Asian Library Special Collections
The East Asian Library's special collection includes about 900 volumes of rare and special books, manuscripts, and other materials.
Film & Media Archive
The Archive is committed to the preservation of documentary film and other media which chronicles America's great political and social movements with a particular emphasis on the African-American experience.
Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library Special Collections
The Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library Special Collections is a 2,300-volume collection of rare and unique art and design printed materials located at the Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library. The main focus is illustrated books, prints, and photographs from the 18th and 19th centuries, 20th century artists’ periodicals and modern and contemporary graphic and book design.
Local History Collections
The local history collecting area focuses on the history of St. Louis and the surrounding region.
Manuscript Collections
WashU Libraries' Julian Edison Department of Special Collections Manuscript collections contain a broad range of materials dating from the 2nd century BCE through the present.
Modern Literature Collection
The Modern Literature Collection includes more than 175 authors, presses, and journals, more than 125 of which are represented by manuscript materials.
Music Special Collections
Music Special Collections include sheet music, manuscripts, rare books, and digital materials.
Rare Book Collections
The Rare Book Collections cover a wide range of subjects that complement books held in other collecting areas. The Collections’ primary strengths are in literature, the material culture of the book and printing, and aspects of American and world history. This includes graphic design, book arts, children’s literature, movable books, miniature books, printed works of art, and manuscript collections related to subjects in the Rare Books Collections.
Sports & Culture Collections
The Sports and Culture Collections highlight the historical and cultural impact of sports and fandom throughout the United States, with a particular emphasis on the St. Louis region.
Washington University Archives
The University Archives chronicles the history of WashU from 1853 to today with over 300 unique collections, including campus publications, reports, photographic prints and negatives, books, film, sound recordings, oral histories, architectural plans, and artifacts.