Mortimer Rare Book Collection
Smith College Special Collections
The Mortimer Rare Book Collection includes rare, historical printed books, medieval European manuscripts, literary archives of women writers, artists’ books, and other historical and cultural material texts. As part of Special Collections, these materials support the curriculum of the College and enable us to function as a laboratory for the exploration of material history and culture. The collection scope is chronologically and geographically broad, with substantial holdings in English and American literature, botany, history of science, early children’s literature, fine press books, and artists’ books. Of particular note are substantial holdings of Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, and Mary Shelley.
Search Tools
| Discover Advanced |
This is the best place to find information for rare book materials.
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| Special Collections Finding Aids |
Includes finding aids for some manuscript collections.
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Digitized Content
| Special Collections Finding Aids | To review digitized material available for each collection, click on the "View Digital Material" tab for each finding aid. |
| Mortimer Rare Book Collection Selections | A selection of digitized materials pages from various printed books and manuscripts (hosted on Artstor; Smith login required when off-campus). Select “Browse Institutional Collections,” then “Smith College Mortimer Rare Book Collection.” |
| Woolf Online | A collection of materials related to Virginia Woolf’s writing of To the Lighthouse in the late 1920s. Included are holograph drafts, diary entries and letters, early reviews, selected essays and photographs of the Stephen family, Cornwall and Talland House, all of which inform the setting and characters of the novel. |
| Digital Scriptorium | The Mortimer Rare Book Collection contributions to the Digital Scriptorium, an educational consortium of American libraries with collections of pre-modern manuscripts or manuscripts made in the tradition of books before printing. |
Collection Development
For information about collection development for the Mortimer Rare Book Collection, please see the Collection Development Strategy.
Book Studies Concentration
The book studies concentration connects students with the exceptional resources of the Mortimer Rare Book Collection and the wealth of book artists and craftspeople in Western Massachusetts. Through classroom study, field projects and independent research, students learn about the history, art and technology of the book. The book is broadly defined to extend from oral memory and papyrus scrolls to manuscripts, printed books, and digital media. Read more about the book studies concentration.
Schedule a Class Visit
For assistance in scheduling a class visit, please see Class Instruction.
Contact Special Collections
For general inquiries, contact specialcollections@smith.edu, 413-585-2970.
Elizabeth Myers, Director of Special Collections, emyers@smith.edu
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Contact |
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Nanci Young, College Archivist |
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TBD, Curator of Rare Books |
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Mariana Brandman, Sophia Smith Archivist |