Blanchard, Richard. Rare Book Collection
Collection Information
History of this Collection
This collection is the general Archives and Special Collections Rare Book Collection, named for University Librarian, J. Richard Blanchard (1912-1996). The collection was brought together shortly after the establishment of the Department of Special Collections in 1966. It began with the Isaac Foot and C.K. Ogden libraries. Resulting from these collections the early strength of the Blanchard Rare Book Collection was in religion, English history, and literature. There was an early effort to bolster the collection in the area of history of agriculture and the natural sciences. Subject areas of strength that emerged early include viticulture & enology and agricultural technology.
The history of California and the American West were also important from the beginning with an emphasis on the Central Valley and its surrounding regions.
Overview/Highlights of Collection
History of Agriculture and Agricultural Engineering, Literature, History of Science (especially Biological Sciences), Food Sciences and Culinary Arts, California and the American West, Religion (esp. 16th-18th centuries).
Collection Strengths
- History of African American Civil Rights Movement.
- African Americans in the history and culture of California.
Related Collections
Michael and Margaret B. Harrison Western Research Center Collection