Bryn Mawr's library contains an extraordinary number of treasures that one rarely finds in the libraries of liberal arts colleges. The College has one of the country's largest collections of fifteenth century printed books, and extensive holdings on the history of women, European exploration and colonization, illustrated books, and many other topics. Unfortunately, the ravages of time have had their effect. Many of our most important books are at risk every time they are handled for classes or research projects because of broken bindings and loose or torn pages.
To address this problem, the Friends of the Library launched its "Book
Preservation Fund" three years ago to raise money for the restoration of
critical books. Several generous donors have sponsored books, which allowed
the library to send the books to the Conservation Center for Art and Historic
Artifacts in Philadelphia for restoration. The number of books needing repairs
is great, so we encourage others to follow these donors' example. We have highlighted
below some books in need of repair, but if you have particular interests, please
do not hesitate to contact us about the program.
For additional information about the program or the books, please contact Eric Pumroy, Director of Library Collections and Seymour Adelman Head of Special Collections, at 610-526-5272, or by e-mail.
New books needing sponsors were identified during the production of the exhibitions "The Invention of Antiquity" and "Mapping New Worlds." Bryn Mawr has a remarkable collection of contemporary books that recount how Europeans discovered both their classical past and the civilizations in the rest of the world during the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. We also an important collection of women's history materials, many parts of which are in a fragile or damaged condition.
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Woman Suffrage and Woman's Profession. Catharine E. Beecher. Hartford: Brown & Gross, 1871. Inscribed by the author. More information about this book...
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Eighty Years and More (1815-1897); Reminiscences of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Elizabeth Cady Stanton. New York: European Publishing Co., 1898. Signed dedication to "the Students of Bryn Mawr College" on detached end-leaf. More information about this book...
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De claris mulieribus. Giovanni Boccaccio. Louvain : Egidius van der Heerstraten, 1487 |
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De arte gymnastica. Girolamo Mercuriale. Venice : apud Ivntas, 1573. Gift of M. Dana Emmons. |
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Nova Typis Transacta Navigatio. Caspar Plautius. Linz: 1621. |
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The New World of Words: Or a General English Dictionary. Edward Phillips. London: Nath. Brook, 1671. |
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Last Update: November 8, 2007
