Special Collections
Special Collections at Macalester
The Rare Books Room at Macalester College Library contains materials dating from the 9th century to the present, emphasizing works that are rare, unique, or that may otherwise require special care. Our goal is in building a collection that encourages teaching with and studying these materials, alongside artifacts from the Archives, as deep learning opportunities for our students which complement the College’s curriculum. Highlights include:
- First editions and signed works by early 20th century American authors, including Pearl S. Buck, Truman Capote, Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, Carl Sandburg, John Steinbeck, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and James Van Der Zee
- First editions and signed works by and about Sinclair Lewis
- Charles Foster Collection, which celebrates the friendship between David Foster (Macalester Class of 1968) long friendship with Robert Frost, including first editions and signed works, along with Christmas cards with handwritten greetings by Robert Frost
- First editions and signed works by Vladimir Nabokov
- Medieval illuminated manuscript leaves from Europe, Africa, and Asia
- An 1860 Korean hand-tinted copy of Ferdinand Verbiest’s 1674 Kunyu Quantu, or “Map of the Whole World”
- A complete folio-size set of Diderot’s Encyclopédie
- 18th and 19th century travel narratives
- Fine press poetry
- Contemporary artists’ books
Questions about Special Collections
Curious about how you might integrate our materials into your teaching or a research project? Email [email protected] or contact your Research & Instruction Librarian to get started.
Wonder if we have a particular work? Most titles in our special collections and some selected archival collections are included in Macalester’s online catalog.
Want to work with our materials? Please schedule an appointment at [email protected] or 651-696-6901. See the Guidelines for Using Archives and Special Collections for more information.