Location:
Harvard Yard, between Lamont and Widener
Cambridge, MA
Affiliation:
Harvard College
Founded:
1942
Collections:
Houghton Library holds the special collections of the Harvard College Libraries, which include rare books, manuscripts, and the personal effects of great writers. Though the bulk of Houghton's holdings are text-based objects, the library houses a substantial number of material objects. Some of its notable treasures include Emily Dickinson's bedroom furniture, Egyptian papyri of the Classical era, and medieval European manuscripts. Houghton's outstanding collection of written materials (dating from 3,000 BCE to the present) is an indispensable resource for researchers interested in the History of the Book.
Publications:
- The collections of Houghton Library are searchable through HOLLIS.
- Digital Medieval Manuscripts
- Houghton Library Record: Accessions. 1942-1974, 1979-present.
- Hugh Amory, Elizabeth Falsey, and Nancy Finlay, eds., A Houghton Library Chronicle, 1942-1992. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University, 1992.
Contact:
Thomas Horrocks, Assistant Librarian for Collections
horrocks@fas.harvard.edu
