Special Collections at MSEL in Italian Studies

The Sheridan Libraries of the Johns Hopkins University hold a treasure trove of rare books including incunabula, medieval manuscripts, fine press books, historical manuscript collections, and other special materials.
 
The Special Collections Department houses these materials because of their scarcity, fragility, or value. However, they are valuable and unique resources for research, and are not to be overlooked in any field of study.
 
 How to Find Old Books: a brief guide
 
The department is comprised of 5 units  in 3 different locations.

• Eisenhower Rare Book Collection
• The John Work Garrett Library
• The George Peabody Library
• The Historical Manuscripts Collection
• The Ferdinand Hamburger, Jr.Archives
  

Collections and items of particular  interest in Italian Studies include:

• Early printed editions of Dante and Boccaccio, as well as fine facsimiles of their manuscripts.
• The Sheridan Libraries has an extremely fine collection in Italian architecture. Contact the Rare Books Curator.
• Avant-garde periodicals of the 19th and 20th centuries 
• Natural History Collections
• Incunabula and Early Printing
• Hutzler Collection of EconomicClassics
• Voyages and Travel
  

Special Collections at Other Libraries

• Guido Mazzoni Pamphlet Collection, at Duke University: the collection consists of pamphlets, newspapers, programs, catalogs, and small volumes, from the 16th through 20th centuries. Includes periodicals, political satire, Italian and French dramas, ballets, librettos, eulogies, epithalamia, materials from both World Wars,  collections of poetry, and many pamphlets relating to the Unification of Italy.
• Renaissance Dante in Print : 15th and 16th century editions from the John Zahm collection at the University of Notre Dame; nearly 3,000 volumes, including rare editions and critical studies from the Renaissance to the present.

Classes can be scheduled in Special Collections, to look at rare books and manuscripts in the context of a seminar. Contact the Librarian for the Department.
 
Current Exhibitions at the Sheridan Libraries, the Johns Hopkins University.