Rare Books and Special Collections

Special Collection books are rare books from 1473 to present. They are searchable in the online catalog by author or title. Readers can get a list of all the Special Collection books by clicking on advanced search in the Fordham Library catalog. Select Special Collections in the location box. You may also search by call number, e.g., spec coll 1698 will call up records of books published that year.

Books written by Jesuits are grouped separately and can be found by adding s.j. in front of the call number year, e.g. spec coll s.j. 1596.

Americana: Early Printed Books and Pamphlets is a collection of books and pamphlets from the beginning of American printing to 1865, plus selected rare editions published later. An advanced search using Special Collections-Americana as the location will provide a complete list. A call number search can also be used, e.g. “spec amer 1811”, and “spec amer pam 1867” for pamphlets.

Bronx African American History Archive is a growing collection with emphasis on Bronx History, African American figures and Hip-hop subjects. The call number search is: spec coll baaha

Fordham Collection consists of books, videos and DVDs about Fordham and those written by Fordham authors from former presidents to alumni. Popular alumni like Mary Higgins Clark, Robert Daley and Don Delillo donated their books. It consists of more than 200 titles. The call number search is: spec coll Fordham.

Subjects included in the print collection are river tide data, writings from the Washington Irving collection, the Hudson River school of landscape painting, hiking and waterfall guides and handbooks, and the history of the Hudson Valley region including the categories railroads and sloops. Hudson River mansions, watershed restoration, wineries of the region, and fish communities of the mid-Hudson River estuary are other topics available to researchers. The video/DVD collection features the Hudson River ice industry, the Erie Canal, and the voyages of Henry Hudson. Hudson River Internet resources include environmental reports, databases, and web sites such as Hudson Valley Heritage, Scenic Hudson, and the Sturgeon of the Hudson. Among featured Hudson River periodicals are River Journal, Maritime, Boating on the Hudson and Beyond, Currents, and Hudson Valley Regional Review. Search by author, title, or subject.

The Map Collection contains antique maps from the 17th and 18th century. It is searchable by call number: + spec coll maps.

The McGarry Collection contains books about true crime from the 18th century until the present. Search by subject, author or title.

McLees Collection of Irish language and literature comprises over 600 titles of Irish publications in both English and Gaelic. The call number search is spec coll mclees

Books less than 14 centimeters in height are shelved in the Miniature Collection. Click on advanced search in the online catalog and select the location Special Collection miniature. All miniature books will be retrieved.

The Mystery Collection is a gift of Marie and Otto Maurer and consists of over 6000 novels and reference books in the mystery genre. Search using the author or title. Or to generate a complete list search using the call number spec coll mystery.

The texts of over 1,000 early English dramas make up the Miscellaneous Plays Collection. Search by playwright’s name or title. To generate a list of all the plays in the collection perform call number search: spec coll play .

At Fordham's Walsh Library at Rose Hill, the extensive Rosenblatt Collection is ranked among the top 25 Holocaust collections in the world. It consists of over 10,000 titles in addition to videos and artifacts. An advanced search using the location of Rosenblatt Collection will generate a complete list of holdings.

St. John’s Collection contains the books from Fordham’s first library. An online catalog search using the location of St. John’s Collection in advanced search will list all the St. John’s books.

The World Trade Center Collection. Fordham University Library purchases every book published on the tragedy of 9-11.To search for a complete list of titles use the call number: wtc.