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More about Rare Books and Special Collections
History of the Book at RBSC
UBC's
Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC) Library collects rare and historically significant manuscripts and published works, which are available for you to view and read. This guide provides an introduction to special collection resources relating to the history of the book available through RBSC, UBC Library, and on the web.
Photo credit: UBC Library
Featured Collections
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Before Print: Medieval Manuscripts, Incunable, and Early BiblesPrior to the invention of the printing press, books were produced by hand on various medium types including tablets, scrolls, papyrus and parchment. By the end of the Roman Empire, codices began to replace scrolls and paper slowly began to replace parchment.
During the Dark Ages, it was largely monasteries that conserved religious texts and certain works of Antiquity. These works were typically created in scriptoriums, where monks would copy, decorate and bind books within their monastery libraries. By the end of the 12th century, the growth of the university saw a growth in manuscripts and incunabula outside of monasteries. Also, the development of commerce also saw a growth in texts related to law, history, etc.
Image source: Catholic Church. Pope (1243-1254: Innocent IV). 1245. [Privilegium Innocentii IV pro monasterio S. Michaelis de Tridento]. Western Manuscript collection. UBC Library, Rare Books and Special Collections.
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Print and the ReformationDuring the late Middle Ages, there was an increased interest in the arts and sciences, as well as a renewed interest in texts from ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. Although Asian countries such as China, Japan, and Korea had been using printing technologies such as woodblocks for centuries prior, Johannes Gutenberg helped usher is a new era of printing in Europe with his invention, the Gutenberg press. This press used moveable type technology, making it easier to mass produce books and other texts.
Image source: Catholic Church. [Between 1400-1600]. [Book of hours fragments]. Western Manuscripts Collection, UBC Library, Rare Books and Special Collections.
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Early Modern Day: Mass Printing and Fine Presses
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The Gutenberg style of press remained in use until the Industrial Revolution, when Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Stanhope (1753-1816) created a new press type by 1800 made from cast iron, which helped reduce the amount of force needed to work the press while doubling the size. This printing press making it increasingly easier and cheaper to mass produce books.
In the late 19th to early 20th centuries, the Art Noveau movement spread across Europe, which longed for a return to the golden age of printing and publishing. As a result, several fine presses, such as the Kelmscott Press, were established.
Image source: William Morris. 1896. The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer (The Kelmscott Chaucer). [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Related Resources
If you want to continue your research beyond our collections, the links below will help guide you in finding other useful sources.
UBC Library Research Guides
Medieval Art and Architecture: Illuminated Manuscripts
Special Collections: English Literature
Historical Children's Literature
Related UBC Sites
Related Websites
History of the Book in Canada/Histoire du livre et de l'imprime au Canada
- Developed by a team of historians, literary scholars, librarians, and information specialists, a History of the Book in Canada/Histoire du livre et de l'imprimé au Canada defined Canada’s place within an international network of book history studies. HBiC/HLIC was funded in 2000 under the Major Collaborative Research Initiatives program of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Seven editors coordinated research from six universities across Canada and collaborated with new and established scholars.
Centre for the History of the Book
- Established in 1995, the Centre aims to promote research into the production, circulation and reception of published material from manuscripts to electronic texts.
- An evolving collection of resources for the study of the ancient world, including archaeology, atlas, texts and translations, text tools and lexica.
History of the Book Resource Guide at the University of Maryland
- A guide to resources on the the history of printing and the book using materials from University of Maryland Special Collections.
Literary Resources -- Bibliography and History of the Book
- A list of helpful links dealing with the history of printing and the book.
- An overview of the major developments in the history of the book. Part of a larger history of graphic design web presentation.