The “most beautiful of all printed books”

The “most beautiful of all printed books”

It’s been an exciting week here at RBSC! We’ve been celebrating the arrival of a new book to our collection: The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, published by William Morris’s Kelmscott Press in 1896. The book, more colloquially known as the “Kelmscott Chaucer,” is one of only 438 copies printed and one of only 48 copies with […]

Harry’s here!

Harry’s here!

In honour of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s Canadian première of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Rare Books and Special Collections was delighted to create a display highlighting some of the unique and remarkable copies of the first Harry Potter story from its children’s literature collection. This four-case display was at the Orpheum Theatre for […]

A behind the scenes peek at the archival donation process

A behind the scenes peek at the archival donation process

Rare Books and Special Collections at UBC Library was excited to recently complete the processing for a new collection of archival materials. The Western Forest Products collection reflects the forestry operations and projects undertaken by Western Forest Products–a major harvesting and lumber manufacturing company operating in the coastal regions of British Columbia–and their predecessors. The […]

Words and Pictures poster image

Words & Pictures

Rare Books and Special Collections is delighted to present a new exhibition: Words & Pictures: Book Illustration in Canada’s Governor General’s Literary Awards Join us for a special celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Governor General’s (GG) Literary Awards. In honour of this historic occasion, UBC Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections is proud to […]

In the presence of far-away things: Charlotte Brontë’s Bicentennial

In the presence of far-away things: Charlotte Brontë’s Bicentennial

Many thanks to guest blogger Paige Hohmann, a graduate student at UBC’s School School of Library, Archival and Information Studies, for contributing the below post! “Time is the longest distance between two places.” – Tennessee Williams This week marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charlotte Brontë on April 21, 1816, and as writer […]

Tell us what you think about “Harry Potter and the Rain City”

Did you see UBC Library’s Harry Potter and the Rain City exhibition last fall? Did you attend the Harry Potter, Brands of Magic colloquium or the Hallowe’en at Hogwarts West party? If so, we’d love to know what you thought! Please complete our survey at the below link: https://survey.ubc.ca/s/harrypotter/ Tell us what you liked, tell […]

What’s Old Is New Again!

What’s Old Is New Again!

Rare Books and Special Collections is delighted to present What’s Old Is New Again: An Exhibition of RBSC Acquisition Highlights for 2015. 2015 was an exciting year for Rare Books and Special Collections. In UBC Library’s Centennial year, RBSC worked diligently to enhance its collections to meet the present needs of UBC faculty and students, […]

A “Book of Homage to Shakespeare” (with a Vancouver connection)

A “Book of Homage to Shakespeare” (with a Vancouver connection)

Many thanks to guest blogger Matt Warner, a graduate student in the Department of English at UBC, for contributing the below post! The Book of Homage to Shakespeare is a strange book. The product of a very distinct moment of British imperial history, it paints a picture of its subject that is at once generously expansive […]

Get to Know RBSC!

Have you ever been curious about what we do or what we have at RBSC? Join our weekly tour of Rare Books and Special Collections at the University of British Columbia Library for an introduction to our space and our unique materials and collections. Tours are free and open to the general public, as well […]

Get to Know RBSC!

Join our weekly drop-in tour, every Wednesday at 11 a.m.