Cambridge University Library

Cambridge collections: useful reference works

This guide lists only some of the available works dealing with Cambridge collections and is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all relevant titles. If you are interested in a particular subject area and are unable to locate relevant material, please ask Library staff for assistance.

General

J.C.T. Oates. Cambridge University Library, a history: from the beginnings to the Copyright Act of Queen Anne. Cambridge, 1986. B926.2
D.J. McKitterick. Cambridge University Library, a history: the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Cambridge, 1986. B926.3
Both these volumes contain much useful information on important collections and benefactors, including some classmarks for significant individual items.

P.K. Fox ed. Cambridge University Library: the great collections. Cambridge, 1998. B926.4

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Bibliographies & Catalogues

Incunabula: books published before 1501

J.C.T. Oates. A catalogue of the fifteenth-century printed books in the University Library Cambridge. Cambridge, 1954 [usually known as Oates]. B111.6
Most incunabula are not listed in Newton or the Old Catalogues, but a five-year project to add records to Newton began in October 2009. Until records for all incunabula have been added, this catalogue is the only full listing of works held. The works are arranged by place, with indexes to author or anonymous title, printers & provenance. The general reference copy lists all books held in CUL but does not include full library classmarks; for the copy annotated with Library classmarks, ask at the Rare Books Desk.

Published catalogues of incunabula held in several Cambridge colleges. B111.7-13
In addition, a card catalogue in the Rare Books Microfilm Annexe lists many of the incunabula held in Cambridge college libraries, but this catalogue is no longer updated and does not include items acquired in the last twenty years.

Incunabula short title catalogue (ISTC)
An online database, freely available via The British Library. Includes incunabula held in Cambridge libraries, but does not give full classmarks. It also serves as an index to the microfiche collection Incunabula: the printing revolution in Europe, 1455-1500, available in the Rare Books Room.

Gutenberg Bible
A digitised version of the Library's 42-line Bible (Mainz, circa 1455), accessible only from the University of Cambridge.

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Western Europe after 1500

H.M. Adams. Catalogue of books printed on the continent of Europe 1501-1600 in Cambridge libraries. Cambridge, 1967. B120:1.1-
The works are listed by author or anonymous title, with indexes to printers & places of printing. This lists the University & college libraries that hold these books, but does not give library classmarks. A copy held at the Rare Books Desk is annotated with corrections & items purchased since 1967.

Index Aureliensis: catalogus librorum sedecimo sæculo impressorum. Baden-Baden, 1962-. B120:1.3-
Catalogue of sixteenth-century European works, arranged by author, with indexes to places & printers etc. In progress; currently covers A-D. Locations include the British Library, Cambridge UL & colleges, & Oxford. Gives full classmarks for some libraries, although not for Cambridge.

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British books and books in English

A.W. Pollard and G.R. Redgrave. A short-title catalogue of books printed in England, Scotland, and Ireland and of English books printed abroad, 1475-1640. London, 1926 [usually known as STC]. B125:1.4.
Rev. ed. by K. Panzer. London, 1986-1991. B125:1.5-
A union catalogue of all known publications between these dates, arranged by author (or title for anonymous works), with indexes to printers etc., places, & dates of publication. Gives up to 5 British & 5 US locations for libraries, but not full classmarks. For a copy annotated with UL classmarks, ask at the Rare Books Desk. A copy annotated with college locations (but not classmarks) is also available from the Desk, but is incomplete & generally superseded by the online ESTC [see below].

D.G. Wing. Short-title catalogue of books printed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and British America and of English books printed in other countries, 1641-1700. New York, 1945 [usually known as Wing] B125:2.6-
2nd ed. New York, 1972-1998. B125:2.45, 47-
Revision of 2nd ed. in progress; vol. 1 (A-E) only. B125:2.46
The equivalent to STC for the late 17th century, arranged by author/anonymous title, with indexes to printers etc. & a chronological index to non-London publications. Wing gives up to 5 British & 5 US locations, without classmarks. For a copy annotated with UL classmarks, ask at the Rare Books Desk. A copy annotated with college locations (but not classmarks) is also available from the Desk, but is incomplete & generally superseded by the online ESTC [see below].

English short-title catalogue (ESTC)
An online database, which combines records from STC & Wing with records from the former Eighteenth century short-title catalogue (also known as ESTC), to cover books printed in Britain & her former colonies, or in English printed anywhere in the world, 1473-1800. The eighteenth-century portion is also an important resource for French books with false English imprints. Search possibilities include: keyword, author, title, place or date of publication, printer etc., bibliographical reference, holding library. Most of the pre-1700 material also has Library of Congress subject headings, which are now being added to the eighteenth-century portion.

Records for items published before 1701 will usually give a Cambridge location, but not a classmark. Records for items published from 1701 will usually include classmarks, but these should be treated with caution, as many have been mistranscribed by the compilers. If we do not hold original copies of items listed on this database, we will frequently hold a microfilm copy, which you can order using the information given in the online record.

Nineteenth-century short-title catalogue (NSTC)
Series I & II (1800-1870)
Series III (1871-1919)
A CD-ROM database, available on PCs in the Library, which covers British, colonial, & American publications-plus works in and translations from English published elsewhere in the world-from 1801-1919. It was compiled from the catalogues of several British and US libraries, including the Old Catalogues of Cambridge UL. The NSTC does not give full classmarks, but does indicate which catalogue the item is listed in and gives the heading if it differs significantly from that used here.

C. Sayle. Early English printed books in the University Library, Cambridge. Cambridge, 1900-1907. B125:1.15-
This work covers books from 1475 to 1640: incunabula are listed first, followed by post-1500 books, arranged by place of publication. There are indexes to author or anonymous title; printers etc.; engravers; towns; portraits; music; & bibliographica (e.g. typographical features). Sayle is out-of-date & largely superseded by the annotated copies of Oates & STC, but the arrangement & indexes make it occasionally useful for tracing material which is not easily located in the main catalogues or STC. Classmarks are given, but should be treated with caution, as some items were reclassified in the twentieth century.

List of catalogues of English book sales, 1676-1900, now in the British Museum. London, 1915. B885.1
Arranged by date, with indexes to the owner of the libraries being sold. Annotated with library collections or full classmarks. Readers interested in later sales catalogues should enquire at the Rare Books Desk.

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France & French-speaking countries

A. Pettegree, M. Walsby and A. Wilkinson eds. French vernacular books: books published in the French language before 1601. Leiden, 2007. B132.1.112-113
Gives locations for many libraries, including Cambridge.

Many records for eighteenth-century French publications with false English imprints will be found in the English Short-Title Catalogue.

J.A.E. McEachern. Bibliography of the writings of Jean Jacques Rousseau to 1800. Oxford, 1993-. B151.ROU.2-
Volumes covering La nouvelle Héloïse and Émile have been published so far. Gives locations for many libraries, including Cambridge; these generally include either full classmarks, or a note that the item is in the Leigh collection (records for which are now generally available in Newton).

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Germany & German-speaking countries

Acton Collection. Class 34: Germany, Austria and Hungary (General political history). (University Library Bulletin. Extra series.) Cambridge, 1908. Cam.d.11.5.3
All items were catalogued for the Pre-1978 General Catalogue, and this catalogue includes only records for titles not previously held in the Library. The catalogue slips are arranged in order of their printing; use the author/ anonymous title index to locate items.

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Italy

R.L. Bruni & D.W. Evans. Italian 17th-century books in Cambridge libraries: a short-title catalogue. Firenze, 1997. B131:2.20
Includes books printed in Italy, or in Italian elsewhere (excluding books covered by STC/Wing). Lists the holdings of 39 Cambridge libraries, including the UL, with full classmarks. Arranged by author, with indexes to titles, printers etc., places and date of publication.

R.L. Bruni & D.W. Evans. Seventeenth-century plays and other literary works in the Bute collection, Cambridge University Library... Firenze, 1986. B150.740.19
Arranged by author, with indexes to titles & printers.

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Spain & Portugal

F.J. Norton. A descriptive catalogue of printing in Spain and Portugal, 1501-1520. Cambridge, 1978. B133:1.6
Gives locations for major libraries worldwide, including the UL. Cambridge classmarks (including classmarks for Norton's collection, now held here) have been added in manuscript. Organised by place & printer, with indexes to authors, editors etc. & subject.

Acton Collection. Classes 17 & 38: Spain and Portugal. (University Library Bulletin. Extra series.) Cambridge, 1908. Cam.d.11.5.4
All items were catalogued for the Pre-1978 General Catalogue, and this catalogue includes only records for titles not previously held in the Library. The catalogue slips are arranged in order of their printing; use the author/ anonymous title index to locate items.

Catalogue of the MacColl collection and other Spanish books. (University Library Bulletin. Extra series). Cambridge, 1910. Cam.d.11.5.8
A catalogue of the Hisp collection. All items were catalogued for the Pre-1978 General Catalogue, and this catalogue rearranges their slips in order of printing. Use the author/ anonymous title index to locate items.

A.J.C. Bainton. Comedias sueltas in Cambridge University Library. Cambridge, 1977. B150.743.9
Most of the books listed are in the collection Hisp & full classmarks are given. Arranged by title, with indexes to authors & printers.

A.J.C. Bainton. The Edward M. Wilson collection of comedias sueltas in Cambridge University Library. Kassel, 1987. 743:01.c.22.5; Cam.c.987.6
Companion volume to the above, listing several volumes not in Hisp, with full classmarks.

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Special collections

Acton Collection
Classes 1,2,3,6,7: Papacy, canon law, religious orders. Counter-Reformation.
Classes 17 & 38: Spain and Portugal.
Class 34: Germany, Austria and Hungary (General political history).
Class 48: Political philosophy, social philosophy, economics, law. (University Library Bulletin. Extra series.) Cambridge, 1909-1910. Cam.d.11.5.3-
All Acton items were catalogued for the Pre-1978 General Catalogue, and this catalogue includes only records for titles not previously held in the Library. The catalogue slips are arranged in order of their printing; use the author/ anonymous title index to locate items.

Catalogue of a collection of early printed and other works bequeathed to the Library by John Couch Adams. (University Library Bulletin. Extra series.) Cambridge, 1902. Cam.d.11.5.2
All Adams items were catalogued for the Pre-1978 General Catalogue, and this catalogue rearranges their slips in order of printing. Use the author/ anonymous title index to locate items.

H.R. Luard. Catalogue of adversaria and printed books containing MS. notes preserved in the library of the University of Cambridge. Cambridge, 1864. Cam.c.864.3
This work is not an exhaustive list of all books with annotations, and mainly relates to those in class Adv, which are also listed in the Pre-1978 General Catalogue. Arranged by former classmark, with an index to authors and annotators. A copy marked-up with current classmarks is available at the Rare Books Desk; a copy with Luard's own notes is at Adv.c.87.7.

A.M. Fern. 'Typographical specimen books in the Broxbourne Library: a checklist of the Broxbourne collection', Book Collector 1956, pp.256-272. B990.15.6
A chronological checklist to Broxbourne, which does not include classmarks. All titles are included in the Pre-1978 General Catalogue; a shelflist is available from the Rare Books Desk.

A.T. Bartholomew. Catalogue of the books and papers for the most part relating to the University, town, and county of Cambridge, bequeathed to the University by John Willis Clark. Cambridge, 1912. B125:7.CAM.2
These books formed the core of the Cam collection, which contains material relating to the University, plus books of local interest. This collection is still added to, and most of the material is available through the main catalogues. The arrangement of this catalogue is author or anonymous title; it does not include classmarks.

Cambridge Papers classification. Cambridge, 1939
Cam Papers contains official & ephemeral material from University bodies, societies etc. Ask at the Rare Books Desk for the classification schedule.

Library of medicinal plants collected by Henry G. de Laszlo. Cambridge, 1958. 9850.c.716
All De Laszlo items are listed in the Pre-1978 General Catalogue. This work does not include classmarks.

E.G. Browne. A handlist, arranged alphabetically under the title, of the Turkish and other printed and lithographed books presented to the Cambridge University Library by Mrs E.J.W. Gibb. Cambridge, 1906. B143.4
Gibb is a collection of Turkish, Persian & Arabic books, together with some European works on those languages. This work does not supply classmarks.

C.E. Sayle. Catalogue of the Bradshaw collection of Irish books in the University Library Cambridge. Cambridge, 1916. B128.1-
These books formed the core of the class Hib, which contains books published in Ireland or on Irish subjects; the collection is still added to, & most of the material is listed in the main catalogues. The main arrangement is by place of publication & then chronologically, with an index to authors or anonymous titles.

J.J. Hall. ed. Peterborough Cathedral Library: a catalogue of books printed before 1800 and now on deposit in Cambridge University Library. Cambridge, 1986. B196.13
Peterborough books are all listed in the Pre-1978 General Catalogue, and this work reproduces the printed slips, arranged by author or anonymous title.

Catalogue of a collection of books on logic presented to the Library by John Venn. (University Library Bulletin. Extra series.) Cambridge, 1889. Cam.d.11.5.1
All Venn items were catalogued for the Pre-1978 General Catalogue, and this catalogue rearranges their slips in order of printing. Use the author/ anonymous title index to locate items.

N. Waddleton. Waddleton chronology of books with colour printed illustrations ... 5th ed. York, 1993. + Supplements 1-4. B180.1-
Waddleton is a collection of books containing colour printing, from the 15th to 20th century, on any subject and printed anywhere in the world. Organised by date of publication, with indexes to title and printer. An online version of the Waddleton chronology is also available. Both of these catalogues give only a reference number and not the Library classmark. Foreign items are catalogued in the Main or Pre-1978 Catalogues; for British items, consult staff.

Adam Matthew Publications. The First World War: a documentary record. Series One: European War 1914-1919, the War Reserve Collection from Cambridge University Library. Pt 1: the card catalogue. Pt 2: trench journals, personal narratives ... Pt 3: allied propaganda. Pt 4: German propaganda. Reading, 1991-1993. Ask at Rare Books Desk
This catalogue relates to the microfilm of our War Reserve collection (WRA-WRE), rather than to the original works, but includes a useful guide to the contents and arrangement. A card catalogue, in the Rare Books Microfilm Annexe, gives author and anonymous title access.

T.H. Darlow & H.F. Moule. Historical catalogue of printed editions of Holy Scripture. 4 vols. London, 1903-1911. B150.18.1-
A.S. Herbert. Historical catalogue of printed editions of the English Bible. Cambridge, 1968. B150.18.5
The collections of the British and Foreign Bible Society may be consulted in the Anderson Room. Darlow & Moule is essentially a catalogue of the Library up to 1911.

Other rare book collections are listed alphabetically and by subject in the Collections directory on the Rare Books website.
For most collections, shelflists are available. These are of varying usefulness in tracing material: some collections are classified by subject; some are arranged by size and/or date of publication; others are in random order. If you are interested in seeing the shelflist(s) for a particular collection, ask at the Rare Books Desk.


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