Collections Guide (Western Manuscripts, Rare Books, Printed Ephemera, Maps and Music)
The Bodleian Library's special collections are divided into five main groups. Western manuscripts (in western languages, principally English and Latin) comprise a broad range of archives and manuscript volumes, from classical papyri and medieval illuminated manuscripts to modern political and scientific papers. In addition to these archival holdings, the library's special collections include important collections of western-language rare books & printed ephemera, as well as maps and music. The Bodleian's special collections also include oriental manuscripts and oriental rare books comprising material from the Middle East and Asia, including books, manuscripts and even paintings in languages such as Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese, Sanskrit and Armenian.
Oxford University humanities theses also form a part of the Bodleian Library's special collections (please see the reference section for more information) and the University Archives, Oxford University's own administrative records, though not part of the Bodleian's collections, are read in Duke Humfrey's Library, one of the library's special collections reading rooms.
Please use the links to the left for summaries and highlights of the Library's greatest collections of Western Manuscripts, Maps, Music, Rare Books and Printed Ephemera, as well as brief information on the University Archives.
For more complete guides to the Bodleian Library's special collections, please see the Catalogues & Finding Aids pages, or consult: The Bodleian Library : a subject guide to the collections, edited by Gregory Walker, Mary Clapinson and Lesley Forbes (Oxford: Bodleian Library, 2004)