Book Studies

Collection overview

The collection includes books, periodicals and pamphlets relating to the study of books, newspapers and periodicals in all their aspects and in all major West European languages. It encompasses writing, printing, publishing, reading, collecting and the physical structure of books, newspapers and periodicals.

Collection strengths include:

History of printing, publishing and bookselling in Britain
Catalogues and histories of libraries
Range of material in French, German, Italian and Spanish
Historic depth of holdings, with publications from the 17th to the 21st centuries
History of newspapers and periodicals
International scope, including the Commonwealth, Latin America and the United States

See our latest acquisitions

Collection location

Book Studies books are divided into open access and closed access sections
Book Studies books available on open access will display the location BOOK STUDIES, and are shelved in the Special Collections Reading Room, Small Hall, Ground Floor, Senate House
Books on the history of newspapers and periodicals are shelved at 5th Floor MEDIA AND CRITICISM 3 YV3
Most periodicals are located on the periodicals open shelves (PS) on the 5th floor
Recent issues of periodicals are on display bays 51-52 in the Periodicals Room – 4th floor. For more information on finding journals, see our journals resources page
Many items are held in the closed access stacks. These will display the location Stack Service. Please request at the Stack Service desk on the 4th floor
To locate individual titles use the online catalogue

Related collections

Media Studies collection – for the history of newspapers and periodicals
Language and Literature collections
Palaeography collection
Special Collections and Archives - including the Sterling Library with its private press holdings and early editions and History of the Book materials in the archives
Dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference works in the Information Centre, 4th floor

Classmarks for Book Studies

Book Studies classmarks are numerical, using the Dewey Classification

Bibliography	010.2
Binding	095 and 686
Book in general	655
Book collecting	010
Book illustration	096.1
Book plates	097
Bookselling	655.4
…in Britain	655.442
Copyright	655.6
General catalogues of British books, eg Stationers’ Registers	015.42
Incunabula	093
Library history	027
Newspaper and Periodical history	YV3
Papermaking	676
Printing	655.1
…in Britain	655.142
Publishing	655.4
…in Britain	655.442
Reading	028.9
Type	655.2

Other libraries

For more information about Book Studies holdings in other academic libraries in the London area, please consult the M25 Consortium of Higher Education Libraries website: www.m25lib.ac.uk. For elsewhere in the UK, consult the Consortium of University and Research Libraries catalogue: www.copac.ac.uk