Printed Materials
The Armstrong Browning Library books and other printed materials holdings offer an invaluable resource for research on Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the literature of the nineteenth century, and the Victorian period in general. Half of the 27,000 volumes (21,500 titles) housed in the Library are considered rare, as are the 1500 Browning-related music scores and a majority of the 6,400 bound periodical volumes.
The Library's books are divided into two major collections: the central Armstrong Browning Library Collection (with Browning Library, ABL Rare, and ABL Non-Rare sub-divisions), which focuses on Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning and general information about the Victorian era, and the 19th Century Collection, which includes first and early editions of the works of various literary figures of the period. Within these two large collections are numerous distinct sub-collections. The Armstrong Browning Library's collections also include books written both by and about particular authors, other than Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, in numbers large enough to be designated Author Collections. In addition, although the ABL does not focus on or actively collect children's literature, a large number of books for or enjoyed by children have been identified as the ABL Children's Literature Collection. More information about these collections can be found by clicking the links shown below.
The Armstrong Browning Library also has a significant collection of non-book materials, including music scores and periodicals.