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Rare Books

Rare Book Division
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08540
609-258-3184
Curator of Rare Books
609-258-9942

Charles Scribner Collection of Charles Lamb
Location designator: ExL

Almost complete, the collection contains such famous rarities as Beauty and the Beast and the corrected Prince Dorus. There are association copies as well.

Princeton has an array of Eliana which is difficult to be equaled. The collection includes books from Lamb's own library, as well as rare editions of his own works. The Library also contains full runs of periodicals in which Lamb's early works are found.

There are about 110 volumes by Lamb in the Scribner collection. For particulars refer to: Jeremiah Finch, "The Scribner Lamb Collection" in the Princeton University Library Chronicle VII, 4 (June, 1946) pp. 133-148 [full text] . And see: Jeremiah Finch, "Charles Lamb's copy of The History of Philip de Commines with autograph notes by Lamb and Coleridge" in the Princeton University Library Chronicle XI, 1 (November, 1947) pp. 30-37 [full text] . Also see: Jeremiah Finch, "The Taylor Lamb Collection" in the Princeton University Library Chronicle XLVII, 2 (Winter, 1986) pp. 255-261 [full text] , giving details of particular printed books, playbills, and manuscripts in the Taylor Collection.

Blog essay on books formerly owned by Charles Lamb, currently in the Princeton University Library.  See 'Charles Lamb's Books at Princeton.'