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Everyone can access UCL Special Collections digitally or in person. Our collections of rare, unique and historic archives & books cover themes including history of UCL, education, arts and sciences.
Collection Highlights
Archives
UCL's archive and manuscript collections include the UNESCO registered George Orwell Archive.
Records
Map of Bloomsbury, 1800 College Collection.
Exhibitions
View current and past exhibitions online.
Rare Books
The Ratdolt edition of Euclid's 'Elements', 1482.
View 'Treasures from UCL', available for free online.
Finding Material
- You can search for rare books and other printed material on Explore.
- Archives and manuscripts are found on the .
- Search for digitised and digital content on Digital Collections.听
For more information and video tutorials on how to use these resources to find material held by UCL Special Collections, learn about Our Collections.
News from our blog
Our first Late was a sold-out success, so we鈥檙e very pleased to be able to announce the next event in our evening programme.
Inspired by the seasonal burst of many-hued blossoms outside our windows, we鈥檇 like to invite you to join us for The Colour of Spring, featuring a talk on how coloured light can reveal hidden secrets in Mediaeval manuscripts, a history of the educational movement the Woodcraft Folk, and displays of original material from UCL Special Collections.
We are excited to announce that we鈥檒l be hosting this year鈥檚 Paper Trails conference, working with Dr Andrew W M Smith (University of Chichister) alongside many other fantastic historians, researchers, archivists, librarians and educators. The conference is scheduled to take place at 皇家华人 on July 4th, 2019.
Dr Smith writes:
We are excited to be launching a series of evening talks for 2019, starting this month and running through to the next academic year.
We鈥檒l be hosting sociable, relaxed after-work events, 听perfect for anyone who is interested to come into UCL to learn about the wonderful rare books, archives and manuscripts that we hold here.听 Each evening will present a particular topic or theme; talks and collection displays with wine, soft drinks and nibbles for all.听 What more could anyone want?!
January is always a good time to reflect on our achievements and look forward to our upcoming plans and projects. Read on to discover some of the Outreach team鈥檚 highlights from last year鈥檚 Special Collection鈥檚 schools programmes 鈥� and what to expect from them next鈥�
Teacher CPD with First Story
The prestigious international has this year selected a UCL Library Services project to be among 33 research opportunities on offer to exceptional undergraduates across UCL.
Twelve copies of The Drummer from the Alternative Press Collection. Founded in the 1967 and originally called Distant Drummer, the newspaper reported on Philadelphia鈥檚 radical/hippie community and served as a forum for commentary on local and national politics as well as the city鈥檚 music and arts scene. From 1971 until its demise in 1979, it was known simply as The Drummer.
Eleven pipers piping: a scene from Ovid鈥檚 Metamorphoses depicts Mercury lulling Argus to sleep with his enchanted reed pipe.
We can go one better than the traditional 鈥榯en Lords鈥� and offer you 鈥榦ne royal鈥欌��
We鈥檙e not going to lie to you, this one is a bit tenuous. But we couldn鈥檛 resist the opportunity to share one of our most successful outreach projects to date.
Nine ladies dancing: Let鈥檚 dance! A party in the margin livening up this 1534 edition of Polydore Vergil鈥檚 History of England.