There is a collection of historical atlases in Burton. The Guide to the Manuscripts in the Burton Historical Collection , by Bernice Cox Sprenger is an annotated, indexed list of the collection up to 1985. A total of 2360 collections are described, excluding City of Detroit and other government records. 1920 Soundex for Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin. Daily newspapers such as the Detroit Free Press , Detroit News , Detroit Journal , and Detroit Times are on microfilm in the General Information Department .
Baseball is the principal sport represented.
In addition to the card catalog, a finding aid, available at the reference desk, provides access to the Collection. The Collection, founded in 1948, preserves and makes available to the public for research rare material such as first editions, illuminated manuscripts, and incunabula. Information on autographs, book collecting, the history of printing, bookplates, book values, calligraphy, conservation and preservation can be found in the Collection. The original manuscript of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer among the Indians was found in the Gabrilowitsch former home and donated by the Paulist Fathers in 1959. In addition the collection houses first editions, letters, photographs, and personal items of Mark Twain.