The department has more than 70,000 volumes and several hundred feet of manuscripts, early medieval manuscript leaves, and such examples of early printing as a leaf from a Gutenberg Bible. The general rare book collection is strongest in English and American literature from the seventeenth century to the present. It includes first editions of works by such diverse authors as John Milton, Jane Austen, and William Faulkner.
History is also a major focus.
Other specialties are illustrated books and natural history. Works not available in the original may be held in the form of beautiful reproductions, such as the collection of Leonardo da Vinci's sketchbooks and notebooks. The special subject collections reflect interests of the Boulder community and the state. They include one of the largest mountaineering collections in the country, facsimiles of Mesoamerican codices, the Epsteen and Bloch Collections of children's literature, the Leo Miller John Milton Collection, original photographs by major photographers, and the Tippit Photobook Collection. Manuscript collections include papers of such important Colorado authors as Pulitzer Prize winner Jean Stafford, journalist Gene Fowler, and pioneer Anne Ellis.