History of science and technology: Rare Books in the History of Science

A guide to collections in the Stanford Libraries, featuring the Silicon Valley Archives

Rare Books in the History of Science

Search for Rare Books

1. As with circulating titles, begin by visiting Searchworks.

2. Enter a search term (e.g., the name of a book or author) into the search box.

3. A results list will show items from all Stanford libraries that match your search term.

4. Rare books are housed in the Department of Special Collections and do not circulate. For access to rare books, select the Resource Type "Book" in the left column to limit your results, then limit your results again by selecting the Library "Special Collections."

5. See additional information below about named special collections of rare books in the history of science, technology and medicine in the Stanford Libraries.

The Barchas Collection, Stanford University: A Publication of the Catalog Records for the Entire Collection
This remarkable collection was acquired by Stanford in 1982, and consists of more than 5,000 volumes in the history of modern and early modern science. The collection includes thirteen books printed in the 15th century, and features such highlights as early editions of Aristarchus, Ptolemy, Euclid, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Vesalius, Boyle, Darwin, Pliny, and others.
Frederick E. Brasch Collection of Newton and Newtoniana
In 1941, Frederick E. Brasch, Chief of the Smithsonian Division of the Library of Congress, generously donated to Stanford his remarkable collection of books and manuscripts relating to Isaac Newton and the development of the physical sciences in the 17th century. The collection totals more than 4,000 volumes, and includes several editions of the Principia (including the first edition, which Brasch claimed he bought for $290), and five books owned by Newton himself.
Stephen P. Timoshenko Collection
The books in this collection were given to Stanford University by Dr. Stephen Prokofyevich Timoshenko in the late 1950s. His personal library encompassed over 2,400 volumes covering his study of the history of mechanics. Dr. Timoshenko built relationships with experts all over the globe and this unique position is reflected in the variety of materials in the collection. The books on display in the Terman Engineering Library represent the majority of his collection; however a number of particularly rare or fragile items are housed in the Special Collections Department of the University Library.