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Early English Books:  PR1120 .E2 (1475 - 1640) and  PR1127 .E2 (1641 - 1700)

  • WHAT:  The Early English Books microfilm collection contains nearly every British book published from the invention of printing to 1640 - according to the Pollard and Redgrave's Short-Title Catalogue of books.   From the first English book published through the age of Spenser and Shakespeare, this collection contains more than 30,000 titles.  Materials that have been microfilmed range from official publications hundreds of pages long to single page posters and handbills.
     
  • FORMAT & SCOPE:  Microfilm.  Reel 1 - onward.
     
  • ORGANIZATION:  Microfilm reels are numbered consecutively rather than chronologically.  Documents from various years will appear on the same reel of film. The collection is divided, by  year, into two segments with slightly different call numbers (see above). Be sure to retrieve the reel from the appropriate section of the collection.  You will need Call Number, Reel Number and Item Number in order to locate specific documents.  Each citation in the online catalog contains a reel number and an item number designating its position on the reel.
                EXAMPLE:  PR1127 .E2 1615:17
                                          call #         reel  : item position
    Items cited in print indexes only contain the reel number and item number.

    Note that the items on each reel rarely contain number cards or frames to indicate their position on the reel.  The only sure way to locate the right item effectively is to carefully count the start of each new document as you proceed through the microfilm reel.  This can take patience and considerable time and effort if a reel contains many short documents.
     
  • INDEX:   There are entries for a significant number of the unique titles contained in this collection in the online catalog.  Note that the most recent acquisitions have not yet been added.  Early English Books are indexed in paper supplements or guides as follows:
               Early English Books 1475 - 1640:      PR1120 E2 Guide
                                                                            PR1120 E224
               Early English Books 1641 - 1700:      PR1127 E2 Guide  
                                                                            PR1127 E222 1981
                                                                            PR1127 E223 1990

 

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