About the collection
The University of Delaware Library also holds a wealth of manuscript and archival resources in history. In addition to the holdings described in the Delaware Collection, Special Collections holds over two hundred collections of family and business papers which are especially strong for the Philadelphia area. A collection of several hundred diaries, scrapbooks, ships logs, account books, and ledgers maintained by individuals and businesses provides an opportunity for scholars to explore a widely diverse range of primary resources.
From the collection
Views in Philadelphia and its vicinity: engraved from original drawings. Philadelphia: Childs, 1827.
Select bibliographies
Listed here are bibliographies of resources in Special Collections pertaining to Philadelphia. Please note that the items listed in the bibliographies represent only a small portion of materials on Philadelphia held in Special Collections.
Related subject guides
Highlights from the manuscript collection
MSS 129 John Frederick Lewis papers, 1860-1932, 1882 - 1932 (bulk dates 1909 - 1928); 4.6 linear feet and 75 volumes.
MSS 327 Biddle family papers, 1766-1943 (bulk dates 1870-1927); 8 linear feet.
MSS 562 Helen Farr Sloan Philadelphia Inquirer notebooks, 1886-1896; 5.3 linear feet.
Highlights from the print collection
Keyser, Charles Shearer. Fairmount park and the international exhibition at Philadelphia. Philadelphia, Claxton, Remsen & Haffelfinger, 1876.
Smith, R. A. Philadelphia as it is in 1852: being a correct guide to all the public buildings; literary, scientific, and benevolent institutions; and places of amusement; remarkable objects; manufacturies; commercial warehouses; and wholesale and retail stores in Philadelphia and its vicinity. Philadelphia, Lindsay and Blakiston, 1852.
Rae's Philadelphia pictorial directory and panoramic advertiser: Chestnut Street from Second to Tenth Streets. Philadelphia, Pa.: Julio H. Rae, 1851.