Rare Books

LSU Libraries Special Collections has a rich collection of historical scientific works touching upon nearly every modern discipline. The McIlhenny Natural History Collection is undoubtedly the star of the show, but this guide also reveals the variety of our holdings.

A few works of general scientific importance are worth mentioning here. Special Collections holds a nearly complete run of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (1665-1870), in which many notable discoveries were published for the first time. In addition, we have a complete first edition of Denis Diderot's Encyclopédie, both text volumes and plate volumes, which illustrate in vivid detail the arts, sciences, and trades of the eighteenth century.

Please select a guide listed to the left to continue.