The History of the Book is an extensive resource of printed items relating to books, manuscripts and documents. It is particularly strong in studies and discussions of medieval manuscripts, with many coloured illustrations of the genre. There are also many printed catalogues of the major libraries and archives from around the world. Many of these may now have been superseded by online listings, but the printed editions still have a value as an alternative way of browsing these collections. Then there are studies of printing and printers, the book trade, typography, bibliography, binding, sigillography, palaeography and other aspects of the written and printed word which help to support and provide a context for the original items held in Archives and Special Collections.
These collections have not been digitised, so that only the catalogues are currently available online.
If you would like to purchase digital copies of specific items from any of our collections, please get in touch.
If you are a member of teaching staff at Durham University and would like to use material from Archives and Special Collections within your lectures or seminars, we may be able to scan or photograph items for this purpose. Please contact us as early as possible with any teaching digitisation requests.
See also our guide to Digitised Collections Online for further information on our digital resources.
The collections mentioned above are located at Palace Green Library. Our current opening hours are as follows, by appointment only (see below).
See separate Libraries and Site Information guide for further information on Palace Green Library, and for disruption due to roofing works during 2024-2025, visit our guide.
Appointments are required for all visits, please use the enquiry form to book. Appointments need to be made at least three working days in advance, and we will need to know the full list of document references or shelfmarks of the items you wish to consult before we can confirm your booking. If you are unsure of how to do this or need assistance please contact us and we will be happy to help.
