The Scheide Library once a private library, is now a permanent part of the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections of the
Princeton University Library. It is housed in the
Harvey S. Firestone Memorial Library
Princeton University Library is the main library system of Princeton University. With holdings of more than 7 million books, 6 million microforms, and 48,000 linear feet of manuscripts, it is among the largest libraries in the world by number of ...
on the campus of
Princeton University.
In 2015, following the death of William Scheide, the library was gifted to the University to be a part of the permanent collection. It marks the largest gift in the university's history.
The Scheide Library is the only library outside of Europe to possess all four of the first printed bibles: The
Gutenberg Bible, the 1460 Bible (or
Mentelin Bible), the
36-line Bible
The 36-line Bible, also known as the "Bamberg Bible",British Library/ref> (and sometimes called a "Gutenberg Bible") was the second moveable-type-printed edition of the Bible. It is believed to have been printed in Bamberg, Germany, circa 1 ...
, and the 1462 Bible. Other notable holdings include manuscripts by
Abraham Lincoln,
J.S. Bach, and
Ludwig van Beethoven, a copy of the
Declaration of Independence, and first editions of
Shakespeare, and
Milton
Milton may refer to:
Names
* Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname)
** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet
* Milton (given name)
** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...
. The library also holds significant collections of medieval manuscripts and
incunabula
In the history of printing, an incunable or incunabulum (plural incunables or incunabula, respectively), is a book, pamphlet, or broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. Incunabula were pro ...
, printed books on travel and exploration, and Americana.
[
The Scheide Library was assembled by three generations of collectors, William T. Scheide, his son, John H. Scheide, and grandson, William H. Scheide, who founded the Bach Aria Group, credited with reviving interest in Bach's cantatas.]
References
External links
Official website
Guide to the Princeton University Library
{{Princeton
Libraries in New Jersey
Private libraries in the United States
Princeton University