About this Collection
Special Collections contains more than 135,000 volumes in many subject areas, including several fifteenth- and sixteenth-century manuscripts; early European, English and American imprints; local and regional imprints; facsimiles; limited editions; examples of fine printing, bindings and illustrations; and reference sources. Ephemera, broadsides and posters are also a significant part of our print collection.
The majority of the books and printed material held by Special Collections are searchable through the online catalog.
In addition to the general rare book collection, major named collections include:
Selected Collections
Edward J. Erickson Ottoman and Turkish Military History Collection
Dr. Edward J. Erickson began collecting Turkish language books about Ottoman and Turkish military history while assigned as a NATO staff officer in Izmir, Turkey in 1992. After retiring from the United States Army as a lieutenant colonel, he published a number of influential books about the Ottoman army in the late-Imperial period. Over a twenty-five year period Dr. Erickson assembled a comprehensive collection of official and trade books covering these topics. Of note, the collection includes the Turkish General Staff's official histories of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877, the Italo-Ottoman War of 1911, the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, the First World War, and numerous personal memoirs published by participants. The collection also includes published archival document collections regarding the Armenian Revolutionary Committees and a number of English-language books about the Armenian relocations of 1915.
SEARCH ERICKSON COLLECTION IN LIBRARY CATALOG
William J. Haggerty Collection of French Colonial History
The Haggerty Collection consists of over 30,000 monographs, periodicals, reports,
government publications, scrapbooks and ephemera from or pertaining to French colonies
during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The materials were originally
part of the Union Coloniale Française, a private learning center established by French
trading firms in 1894, renamed the Comité Central Français pour l’Outre-Mer in 1948.
The collection was acquired by the State University of New York at New Paltz (and
named for its president) in 1966 after the Comité was disbanded, coming to Binghamton
University in 1984. While most of the Haggerty Collection is in French, other languages
are represented and other European nations’ colonies are covered.
SEARCH Haggerty COLLECTION IN LIBRARY CATALOG
Archibald Howard Collection
The Archibald Howard Collection was donated to the library by Archibald Howard, a
lawyer with the Binghamton law firm Hinman, Howard and Kattell, and by avocation a
very knowledgeable bibliophile. His personal library contained some 3,000 volumes,
including limited editions and collectors' printings, mainly in the areas of literature
and history. One of the libraries' most valuable items, a copy of the Nuremberg Chronicle,
was also part of the Howard donation. The Howard books have been cataloged online.
Search Howard Collection in Library Catalog
William Klenz Collection
The William Klenz collection was donated to the University Libraries by the family
of William Klenz, a talented musician and long-time faculty member of the University's
Department of Music. The collection comprises Klenz's personal library of nearly 1,000
volumes reflecting his eclectic tastes in a wide variety of subjects, from cooking
to art to philosophy; and over 1,000 musical scores and books of music ranging from
folk music to concert performance scores of major composers. The collection also includes
approximately 20 linear feet of personal papers.
Search Klenz Collection in Library Catalog
Local History Collection
This collection consists of a variety of books, ephemera, photographs and archival material related to the Binghamton area and the surrounding region. It includes the Mark Kulikowski Collection, a diverse collection of historical material from and about the Broome County region. The collection consists of area newsletters, programs, bulletins, newspapers, booklets, magazines, music and music scores, posters and flyers, photographs, postcards, memorabilia and artifacts. Books about local businesses, industries, municipalities, churches and life in the Broome County area are also part of the collection. Mark Kulikowski, who grew up in the Triple Cities region and was an alumnus of Binghamton University, donated materials from 2007 until his death in 2018. An endowment established by his family allows for the continued acquisition of materials for this frequently used collection. Further information about Local History resources can be found in the subject guide.
Herbert Reichner Collection
The Herbert Reichner Collection was originally part of the working reference library of the publisher Herbert Reichner. It contains approximately 3,000 volumes having to do with the history and practices of printing, publishing, and book collecting.
Search Reichner Collection in Library Catalog
Max Reinhardt Library and Archives
In addition to the Austrian theater director’s manuscript collection, the collection offers a significant number of books from his library primarily relating to drama and art, some dating to the early 16th century.
Search Max Reinhardt Library and Archive in Library Catalog
Vera Beaudin Saeedpour Kurdish Library and Museum Collection
The print portion of the collection contains more than 3,000 books, journals, and newspapers in Kurdish and other languages, on Kurdish history, politics, and culture.
Search Saeedpour Collection in Library Catalog
Yi-t'ung Wang Collection and East Asian Collection
The Wang Collection was donated to the University Libraries in 2004 by Professor Yi-t'ung Wang, and is the cornerstone of the Asian Collection. The Wang Collection consists of over 4,000 volumes on Chinese history, religion, education, economics, politics, philosophy and literature. The East Asian Collection contains monographs written in Chinese, Japanese and Korean in the areas of history, literature and religion in addition to a Japanese woodblock print collection. These collections were acquired in support of the University's Asian and Asian American Studies Program.
Posters, Broadsides and Ephemera
Special Collections has substantial holdings of posters, broadsides and ephemera, much of which is either cataloged individually or can be discovered in our finding aids. Within this category are Soviet political posters (1929-1941), concert and political posters from the 1960s era, letterpress poetry broadsides from the local Bellevue Press, collections of local, national and international theatre programs and postcards, and ephemera within our Local History Collections. The JOHN MCLAUGHLIN COLLECTION contains hundreds of movie posters, lobby cards and ephemera associated with movies, radio and television.
