Special Collections contains printed material and books in over 30 collections spanning the 16th to the 21st centuries. All books can be found through the library's SUPrimo catalogue. Here are some highlights from the collections:
The personal library of John Anderson (1726-1796), Professor of Natural Philosophy at Glasgow University, who left his collection as working stock for the new University founded by his will. The library of an 18th century Scottish scientist, the collection includes books, papers and lecture notes. The collection also includes a printed catalogue of his library dating from 1832.
List of books in the Anderson Collection
Related archives: John Anderson papers (ref: GB 249 OA)
This collection was donated by James "Paraffin" Young (1811-1883) to support the Young Chair of Technical Chemistry.
The collection contains books and manuscripts on alchemy and early science dating from the 15th to the 19th century and is listed in a printed bibliography, Bibliotheca Chemica (Glasgow, 1906) by John Ferguson. Mainly German and Latin texts, the collection includes one incunabulum dating from 1490 and one manuscript c.1450.
List of titles in the Young Collection
Related archives: James 'Paraffin' Young papers (ref: GB 249 T-YOU)
Comprises the Strathclyde Staff, Strathclyde Official and Strathclyde Serial collections. These collections were developed to conserve as complete a record as possible of publications relating to the University.
They contain monographs by members of University staff, official publications of the University, its departments and faculties and publications about the University.
List of titles in the Strathclyde Staff collection
List of titles in the Strathclyde Official collection
List of titles in the Strathclyde Serials collection
This collection contains material on the history and description of Glasgow, Scottish topography and travel history, canals, and Scottish tours from the 17th to the 20th century. Also includes articles, illustrations and ephemera on subjects such as industrial archaeology.
The collection is based on the personal library of John Robertson (1912-1991), a local government officer and writer who was an authority on the area north of the Clyde to the Trossachs.
List of titles in the Robertson Collection
List of ephemera and research notes PDF
The Scottish Mountaineering Club was established in 1889. The book collection has mainly been accumulated through donations from its members, authors and publishers. Most of the SMC’s own publications, journals and famous guidebooks are also present.
Subjects covered by the collection : technical and philosophical aspects of mountaineering, climbing, skiing, hill walking and other outdoor pursuits; fiction and literature; biographies and autobiographies; travel and exploration from all over the world which includes an extensive collection of Scottish texts; history of mountaineering; antiquarian collection of 18th Century Scottish travel and tour books.
This collection is on deposit from the Scottish Mountaineering Club. Members of the SMC may borrow certain items on production of a current club membership card.
The early volumes of the Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal have been digitised as part of the Glasgow Digital Library by the Centre for Digital Library Research at the University of Strathclyde.
List of titles in the Scottish Mountaineering Club Library
List of journals in the Scottish Mountaineering Club Library PDF
The material held in the Collection covers a wide range of subject interests and dates from the 16th century onwards.
This Collection contains books printed before 1840 and also includes later special material such as first editions, limited editions, vulnerable plates and fine bindings.
