Rare Books & Manuscripts

PSU Library Special Collections is home to a growing collection of manuscripts, early printed works, and rare books dating back to the early medieval period.  The manuscript collection contains leaves and scrolls of religious texts from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, works of poetry and music, and legal documents.  Highlights of the rare book collection include significant Renaissance works in the sciences and humanities, Middle East studies, Northwest history, and Oregon authors.

Manuscripts and Incunabula in the PSU Library Catalog

• Manuscripts and Incunabula in PSU Special Collections
  An online catalog of manuscript and incunabula leaves in Special Collections.

To find Special Collections’ manuscripts and incunabula leaves in the library catalog:

• Search the PSU Library Catalog
• Select “PSU Special Collections” for Search Scope
• Select “Call Number” and enter “Mss.” in Search Filters

Rare Books and Manuscripts in PDXScholar

To find student research presentations on manuscripts and early printed works in PSU Special Collections:

• Browse All Research Presentations in PDXScholar
  • Research on the Malleus maleficarum and Fasciculus temporum codex

Digital Exhibits

• The Envious Tooth of Time
  Original printed works from PSU Library Special Collections ranging from the fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries. Curated by Jesse Locker, Assistant Professor of Renaissance and Baroque Art, PSU.
• The Gift of the Word
  An exhibit of manuscripts acquired through the Gordon Hunter Fund, which each year helps the PSU Library support teaching and research with the acquisition of rare and significant books and artifacts. Researched and curated by students of Professor Anne McClanan’s art history seminar.
• The Nuremberg Chronicle
  Video presentation on leaves from the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493) by University Honors student Kylie Bolinger.
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Medieval Portland

Medieval Portland is an online resource coordinated by Professor Anne McClanan, Portland State University’s medieval art historian. The Medieval Portland website contains a searchable database of medieval works in local collections, including PSU Library Special Collections. The research presented in Medieval Portland comes from both published sources and from original work by PSU students.