The Bodleian Library: A Subject Guide to the Collections

The Bodleian Library is the first systematic subject guide to the holdings of the oldest and largest academic library in Great Britain. The result of efforts by forty past and present Bodleian staff specialists, the book describes the Library's current collections in the historical context of its four hundred years of acquisitions.

Each of the book's twenty-nine chapters examines a particular subject, geographic area, or special type of material contained in the Bodleian Library, covering themes such as English literature, music, North America, East Asia, pictorial resources, and printed ephemera. The chapters explore the development, unique character, and strengths of the various subjects. They also feature a specific bibliography of publications, catalogues, and other research resources on the particular subjects. A general bibliography and descriptive list of more than four hundred principal special collections in the library augment the guide's rich assortment of information.

The Bodleian Library offers a comprehensive and valuable survey of the evolution of the Bodleian Library's collections, allowing readers to appreciate more fully the wealth of intellectual riches found there.

Mary Clapinson was on the staff of the Western Manuscript Department in the Bodleian Library for thirty-five years. Appointed Keeper of Western Manuscripts in 1986, she was the first woman to hold a Keepership in the Bodleian. She is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and of the Royal Historical Society, and emeritus fellow of St Hugh's College, Oxford.