Primary Texts

In general, primary sources are materials contemporaneous with the event or individual being studied and may include manuscripts, letters, diaries, newspaper articles, and other documentary items. Such materials in their physical forms are usually kept in rare book and archival collections, but with the advent of digitization more and more of it can be found online. The list below includes some of those online sources.

Rare Books & Mss.

That book you're reading doesn't end with the last page. It may have a long and fascinating history. The Library's Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections (RMC) includes 400,000 printed volumes, more than 70 million manuscripts, and another million photographs, paintings, prints, and other visual media that may be a part of that history. Deepen your appreciation of the text and take your research to the next level -- find out what RMC has to offer.

Digital Book Archives