Archives and Special Collections Teaching Collection

Teaching Collection Inventory

Archives and Special Collections maintains a collection of objects used in teaching the history of the book and demonstrating printing and book/manuscript production techniques in the classroom. They provide a hands-on, engaging experience for students. Please let us know if you would like to use these materials in the classroom or during a library visit, or if there are other materials you would like to see added to the collection.

Elements of the book and history of writing/book production

Egyptian papyrus leaves (5)
Blank papyrus scroll on two wooden bars
Imitation papyrus scroll with Latin text on one wooden bar
Dried papyrus plant stems (2) 
Egyptian reed pens (2 versions) 
Black wax tablet diptych with stylus 
Red wax tablet diptych with stylus 
Goose quills (5) 
Small bottle of iron gall ink
Red sealing wax stick (3)
Wax seal depicting Minerva on twine
Marble seal stamp depicting snake
Set of parchment samples 
Hand marbled paper samples 
Printed facsimiles of watermarked laid paper for folding exercises 
Small box of metal type samples 
15 letterpress alphabet wood block samples 
One woodcut illustration printer’s block, from India 

Book samples

Harlequin Romance novels (19) 
19th century books with leather/marbled paper bindings (2) 
Late 19th century silver/color stamped cloth binding 
Madame Bovary, 1948 edition—example of 20th century fine press production 
A Child’s Christmas in Wales, Dylan Thomas, 1954—modern use of woodcuts in illustration by Ellen Raskin 
Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens, 1990 facsimile of complete set in parts with wrappers (cataloged in Special Collections as PR4569 .A1 1990).