Description
of Collection
Content description
The rare books collection consists of volumes printed before 1850 which came to the Library as part of the early collections. The collection contains volumes printed in England and continental Europe as well as many printed in the Middle East, India and the Far East. In many cases these were collected by oriental scholars connected with the Faculty or with Cambridge. Many volumes are dictionaries, grammars, Bibles, descriptive works and books of travel and exploration.
History and development
Some of the volumes in the rare books collection are from the founding collections of the library while others have come with later bequests at various dates throughout the library's history. The Library does not purchase volumes to add to this collection but books are sometimes added from new bequests which contain valuable items.
Strengths
Early dictionaries and grammars, books of travel and exploration. Books on Arabic and Persian studies.
General arrangement and access regulations
The rare books collection is shelved separately from the main library collection but volumes can be consulted on request. The books are arranged in groups by region and by language. Individual bequests are not shelved separately but identified by bookplates or other identifying marks.
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Subjects of the
Collection
Regions of AsiaCentral Asia and the Caucasus, East Asia, Near & Middle East and North Africa, South Asia. CountriesChina, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Mongolia, Turkey. Languages of materialArabic, Chinese, Japanese, Persian, Sanskrit, Turkish, Ottoman (1500-1928). SubjectsAnthropology, Archaeology, Arts, Geography, History, Language, Literature, Philosophy, Religion, Travel. Languages as linguistic focusArabic, Chinese, Japanese, Persian, Sanskrit, Turkish, Ottoman (1500-1928). Names relevant to the collection:- William Martin Leake (1777-1860) E.J. Rapson (1861-1937) A.A. Bevan (1859-1923) Cecil Bendall (1856-1906) E.G. Browne (1862-1926) Herbert Thompson (1859-1944) Alan Gardiner (1879-1963)
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