The Baldwin Library contains more than 93,000 volumes published in Great Britain and the United States from the early 1700s through the present. Its holdings of more than 800 early American imprints is the second largest such collection in the U.S. Begun by Ruth Baldwin, this assemblage of literature, printed primarily for children, offers many topics for research: education and upbringing, family and gender roles, civic values, racial, religious, and moral attitudes, literary style and format, and the arts of illustrations and book design. A great strength of the collection is the many English and American editions of the same work – for example, 300 editions of Robinson Crusoe.
If you are interested in doing research with items at the Baldwin Library, please view our catalog of items or send us an email.