The Library’s Special Collections provide a rich resource for German Studies at the University of Manchester.
Our collections cover areas as diverse as 15th century printed German Bibles and war correspondence relating to Hitler's Germany.
This guide will identify collection strengths and help you access relevant material.
Manuscripts range in date from the 14th to the 20th centuries and include a 15th century Alchemica and a 17th century sketch-book by Wenceslaus Hollar featuring ink drawings of towns along the Rhine which includes this sketch of Frankfurt on the Main.
Archival materials of relevance include the papers of Heinrich Simon covering the period of the Frankfurt Parliament of 1849-49, and a collection of letters from Sigmund Freud to his nephew Samuel. The Guardian Archives contain a large collection of despatches from foreign and war correspondents, many relating to life in Hitler's Germany. Literary archives are also well represented. For example, the Carcanet Press Archive contains correspondence, literary manuscripts and proofs relating to German works in translation published by the Press or in the PN Review magazine.
The Library holds some exceptional German printed collections. Early printing is represented by examples from over one hundred 16th century printing presses, notably of German bibles.
Key subject areas well represented in Special Collections include the following:
German Bibles
Examples include a '42-line' and a '36-line' Gutenberg Biblia Latina, Johann Mentelin's first printed German Bible, and five examples from the Pfister press in Bamberg, four of which are in vernacular German.
German Reformation
The Library has a substantial amount of material relating to the German Reformer Martin Luther, including Luther's German translations of the Old and New Testaments which are richly illustrated.
German Literature
The Library holds the late 15th century 'Liber Chronicorum' which includes images of several German cities such as Bamberg.
Later German printed holdings include the Peter Huchel Collection, part of the personal library of the German poet and editor of Sinn und Form. Huchel's literary influences are revealed in the many annotations and marginalia in the books in his library.
The University of Manchester Library holds one of the finest collections of rare books, manuscripts, archives and visual collections in the world. These collections are mainly concentrated in the magnificent building on Deansgate, The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, in the centre of Manchester. They are also housed in the Main Library on the University campus and at the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre, in Manchester Central Library. This resource introduces the different types of materials found in Special Collections and explains how they can be used to support your studies. For general tips on accessing digital and physical collections and visiting our reading room please look at our other Medium resources.
You are welcome to make use of Special Collections in your learning and research.
Due to the special nature of the material, we provide access in a controlled environment and there are some restrictions on use and access, particularly for fragile material or modern archives which may contain sensitive data.
Please read our guidance pages on the web for details.