British and Commonwealth Literary Studies
Renaissance Commonplace Books from the Huntington Library
The Collection
A microfilm collection of British commonplace books dating from the 16th
and 17th century. Commonplace books are hand-written compilations of striking
passages garnered from reading and conversation. Keeping a commonplace
book was long a fashionable habit among educated men and women. It was
an especially important and frequent practice during the 16th and 17th
centuries and provides an index to the taste of individuals and their
class. This collection consists of a wide range of exemplary and extraordinary
volumes selected from the Huntington Library. Poets and authors heavily
featured in the collection include: Ben Jonson, Philip Sidney, Walter
Raleigh, Francis Bacon, and Henry Wotton.
Location: Green Library, Media-Microtexts
Call Number: MFILM N.S. 14297
Index and Guide: Renaissance Commonplace Books from the Huntington
Library: A Listing and Guide to the Microform Collection (Media-Microtexts
PN6245.R4 1994 Guide) describes each commonplace book and lists its reel
number. The last reel of the collection includes a complete first-line
index to manuscript poetry in the Huntington Library.
Last modified:
July 12, 2006
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