James Ford Bell Library

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James Ford Bell Library

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A collection of rare books, maps, manuscripts, and other documents, created prior to ca. 1800 CE, the

Documenting the history of trade and cross-cultural contact before ca. 1800 CE through books, maps, and manuscripts.

09/24/2026

Join us for a Pop-Up Exhibit
A national day of history in public
“We Want More History!”
Archives & Special Collections
Elmer L. Andersen Library room 120
11:30am to 1:30pm

For more information regarding other “We Want More History!” CLA events :
https://cla.umn.edu/history/news-events/events/we-want-more-history

Link to the national page for this initiative:
https://www.wewantmorehistory.org/

07/14/2026

New blog post!

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06/15/2026

Fascinating pieces of ephemera - price lists for goods from around the world being sold in Europe.
goods

06/12/2026

From the epic 18th-century love/horror poem "Leonora," by Gottfried Buergher, here in English translation.
Pretty metal!

04/17/2026

-"The Worlds of William Shakespeare"-
Join Archives & Special Collections for a pop-up exhibit on the occasion of Shakespeare Day - April 23! We'll feature items honoring the life and legacy of William Shakespeare, including stage architecture, costume design, theatrical scrapbooks, and modern and historical interpretations of his plays and poetry.
libnews.umn.edu/event/the-worlds-of-william-shakespeare-pop-up-exhibit/

03/31/2026

From the English version of Giambattista della Porta's "Natural Magic" (1669) : various "secrets" for the beautification of women, plus one set of recipes to be used for "sport" ! Although pictures of pages full of words don't generally make exciting posts, take a closer look at the ingredients and purposes for these recipes. They do not disappoint!
"Magiae Naturalis" was originally published in Italy in 1558, and became immensely popular over the course of the 16th and 17th centuries.

03/26/2026

Images from the "Margarita Philosophica" by Gregor Reisch (d. 1525). Published in Freiburg I'm Breisgau in 1503, it is an early encyclopedic work. Bell call # 1503 Re.

03/25/2026

Chinese women as depicted in various European travel narratives between 1599 and 1750.

01/23/2026

So cold in Minneapolis today!! -20 F before the windchill factor! Stay safe, Everyone!

01/22/2026

Arctic cold in 1819!
(From John Ross's narrative, Bell # 1819 Ro)

Address

222 21st Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN
55455

Website

http://lib.umn.edu/bell

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