The rare books holdings of Saint Louis University have benefitted from several generous donor and from several opportunities to acquire whole collections. Items in these collections have been identified with local collection notes in the catalog and, in many cases, with bookplates in the physical item.
A collection of over 3,000 volumes from the Library of the Society of Jesus, rue des Fleurs, 31000 Toulouse. The residence was at one time a house of Jesuit formation; it was especially the place where the editors of the Revue d'Ascetique et Mystique lived and was the community of many professors who taught at the Institut Catholique of Toulouse. At the time of its closure it had a quality library of more than 90,000 books managed by Father Henri de Gensac, the residence librarian, which were dispersed upon its closure. Centre Sevres and the archives of the province acquired a certain number of things from among the old books; the future theologate at Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) and the theologate in Warsaw (Poland) also took a certain number of the more recent books. After the initial dispersals there remained a stock of important books from the 17th and 18th centuries that was acquired by SLU in 2000.
This is a collection of 1,600 books, pamphlets, and manuscripts of Catholic interest. It centers upon the activities of English Catholics, from the break with Rome under Henry VIII to the achievement of Emancipation. It also includes many related anti-Catholic books of the time.
The books have been gathered from many different sources. Among these are the libraries of the English Jesuits, from Stonyhurst, Roehampton, Heythrop etc; the English Dominican Fathers from Woodchester and Hawkesyard; the Augustinian nuns from Newton Abbot (formerly at St Monica's, Louvain); the Irish Dominicans from Tallaght and Saint Saviour's, Dublin. Special interest attaches to the Cary Library, from which many of the rarer and more important books have come. The Cary family had their seat at Tor Abbey in Devon. The remains of the Cary library included in this collection is a remarkable survival, both for its associations with this family and for the recusant books which it contains.
Also of great interest is the 'Cotton Pamphlets' Collection. Cotton College is now a Catholic public school in Northffordshire. The College originated in 1783 at Sedgley Park in the same county; and it became the training center for the Catholic clergy and laity of the English Midlands. The Cotton pamphlets number about 400 and are bound into volumes. The earliest, dated 1620 is Person's 'Little Treatise' of which only one other perfect copy is known. Some controversial tracts of the time of James II are included, but the collection is remarkable, primarily for the range of important and little-known tracts on the movement towards Emancipation, in the period from the Gordon Riots in 1780 to 1829. Equally significant are the many tracts relating to contemporary disputes between Catholics about the manner of appointing bishops, the exercise of ecclesiastical authority, and the effective means to secure Emancipation. Many of these pamphlets were written by priests and laymen who had had their training at Sedgley.
The Charles Guenther Collection centers around celebrated St. Louisan Poet Charles Guenther. It includes Guenther's original books, translations, books with contributions by Guenther, collections judged by Guenther, as well as books inscribed to Guenther, and showing evidence of Guenther’s writing process.
The Dr. George Edward Follansbee Collection focuses on Western exploration, especially in the Arctic and surrounding regions, and includes significant works related to the fur trade. Many of the items highlight expeditions aimed at discovering new trade routes, such as the Northwest Passage, and the economic and strategic importance of areas like Hudson's Bay. Notable authors like Elisha Kent Kane, John Richardson, and Roald Amundsen provide detailed accounts of their perilous journeys and scientific discoveries. The collection also includes works by figures such as Robert Peary, a prominent Arctic explorer whose mistreatment and exploitation of the Inuit peoples, upon whom he heavily relied, are emblematic of the prevailing assumptions of racial superiority and colonial-driven cultural prejudice of his time.
The Medical Center Library’s Rare Book Collection, includes over 100 significant works from the early history of medicine. The collection is rich in anatomical texts, featuring works by Samuel Thomas Soemmerring, Andreas Vesalius, and William Cowper, which played key roles in advancing the understanding of human anatomy. It also includes foundational texts in surgery, pharmacology, and therapeutics, such as works by John Redman Coxe, William Cullen, and William Cheselden. In addition, the collection contains important treatises on public health, family medicine, and medical education, offering insight into the medical practices and discoveries of the 17th through 19th centuries, reflecting both the progress and the limitations of their time. As part of the Medical Center Library, this collection not only preserves critical historical texts but also serves as an essential reference for contemporary scholars and practitioners studying the evolution of medical knowledge.
A collection built around the works of John Milton, especially Paradise Lost, that includes early and important editions, precursors, influences, and later literary offshoots. The collection contains early printed English books, many of them dating from 1600 – 1700. Some notable works include Fox’s Book of Martyrs, a 1570 edition of Polydore Vergil's English History, a 1628 copy of Sir Walter Raleigh's History of the World, and a first edition (1616) of The workes of Beniamin Jonson.
As the name suggest, this collection contains monographs written or edited by SLU faculty.