Our digital collections are unique and distinctive materials identified for digitization and long-term preservation for their research, teaching, and learning value. Selection is guided by our digitization evaluation criteria.

You can find most of the libraries' digitized materials like books and manuscripts via the Internet Archive Digital Libraries and HathiTrust, and our digitized archival materials via our AtoM Archival Collections Catalogue.

Browse by theme: Archival collections | Arts and architecture | Canadiana | History of the book | History of medicine | Islamic studies | Literature | Manuscripts | Maps | McGilliana | Music | Natural history | Periodicals | Philosophy and the history of ideas | Social history

Archival collections

Robert Abraham fonds

handwritten letter

For a brief period in the 1840s, Robert Abraham owned the Montreal Gazette. This digitized fonds contains considerable insights into transatlantic family relations as well as the North American newspaper industry during the latter half of the 19th century.

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The Black Whale fonds

black whale photo

The Percé Handicrafts Guild was formed to encourage the creation and sale of Gaspé handicrafts, and in 1936 opened a shop in Percé called "The Black Whale." This fonds consists of records related to the operations and administration of the guild and shop.

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Jean Bourdon plans collection

bourdon plan of fort

Jean Baptiste Bourdon was a seigneur, the first engineer-in-chief and land-surveyor in the colony of New France. The collection consists of manuscript maps and plans on paper depicting the earliest settlements and fortifications at Montreal and Quebec City.

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Harvey Cushing fonds

the life of william osler

Harvey Cushing (1869-1939) was a pioneering neurosurgeon and close friend to Sir William Osler. In 1925 he published the two-volume Life of Sir William Osler. The Libraries hold the archival papers relating to the research conducted for the biography, a portion of which have been digitized.

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Dawson-Harrington families fonds

anna dawson photo

The Dawson-Harrington Families Fonds follows the family of Sir John William Dawson, geologist and Principal of McGill University from 1855-1893, through four generations, including both personal and professional records.

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Dawes-Leishman family fonds

dawes leishman letter

This fonds consists of primarily financial and legal records related to the property and estates of members of the Dawes and Leishman families, prominent Montreal business owners.

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Harold Griffith fonds

man with sculpted bust

Harold Randall Griffith (1894 – 1985) was a Canadian anesthesiologist and a leader in the fields of anesthesiology. His archival papers contain records pertaining to his introduction of the homeopathic remedy curare into anesthesia, and include correspondence and case records.

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Sir Arthur Henry Hardinge papers

hardionge letter

Henry Hardinge (1785 – 1856) was a British Army officer and politician. His archival papers contain manuscripts (documents, reports, memoranda, etc. relating to his career) and correspondence, both official and unofficial.

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W.W. Francis fonds

ww francis fonds letter

W.W. Francis (1878-1959) was a Montreal doctor, and ran the Osler Library of the History of Medicine until 1959. His archival fonds contains correspondence related to the Osler Library and its holdings, as well as the text of lectures he delivered.

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Kiang Kang-Hu fonds

invoice with chinese script

Kiang Kang-Hu was a Chinese politician and activist and served as chairman of the Department of Chinese Studies at McGill in in the 1930s. These papers cover the few years he was employed by McGill and include teaching, administrative, and personal records.

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James Morrison papers

morrison document

James Morrison was a Montreal merchant and fur trader. These digitized papers are a collection of documents chiefly related to James Morrison's activities as a trader and merchant in Montreal, covering a period from 1651 to 1912 but focusing primarily on 1767 through 1800.

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Percy Nobbs collection

percy nobbs sketch

Percy Erskine Nobbs (1875-1964) was a prominent Canadian architect and served as the director of McGill’s School of Architecture for many years. His archival papers are held by the Libraries, and a portion of his records have been digitized. 

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Noel Noel-Buxton fonds

noel buxton fonds letter

This collection consists of the papers, correspondence, documents, memoranda, and notes that Noel-Buxton collected concerning various political and social problems, such as slavery, colonialism, and international peace, covering a period between approximately 1860 and 1953.

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Naval plaques

naval plaque

In the late 1940s, McGill received an extensive set of ships’ badges from the Royal Navy. These were to serve as decoration on the walls of the swimming pool of the newly erected Memorial Hall. This collection consists of 59 heraldic plaques featuring Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy badges for ships and naval installations. 

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Thomas Storrow Brown collection

handwritten letter

Thomas Storrow Brown was a member of the patriotes movement in Montreal and a contributor to the Vindicator newspaper. The collection includes Brown's diaries papers reflecting Brown's political concerns and activities in Montreal between 1832 and 1838.

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Norman H. Friedman Arthur Szyk collection

Szyk artwork

Arthur Szyk was a Polish-Jewish artist who worked primarily as a book illustrator and political artist in the mid 20th century. The fonds consists of many of Szyk's illustrations in the form of prints, commercially-reproduced illustrations, and drawing studies, as well as printed ephemera.

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Ramsay Traquair fonds

traquair manuscript

Ramsay Traquair was the third Director of the School of Architecture at McGill University. His personal papers are held by McGill Libraries, and a small portion of the papers in the fonds have been digitzed.

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Arts and architecture

Canadian war poster collection

wwII poster

The Libraries hold some 250 posters from the two World Wars. These large, boldly lettered, and colourful advertisements had an immediate and powerful effect on their viewing public, and have become an important resource for understanding wartime life.

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Norman H. Friedman Arthur Szyk collection

Szyk artwork

Arthur Szyk (1894-1951) was a Polish-born Jewish book illustrator and political artist. The digitzed archival record consists of many examples of Szyk's illustrations in the form of prints, commercially-reproduced illustrations, drawing studies, and printed ephemera.

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The Moshe Safdie archive

habitat 67

The Moshe Safdie Archive contains more than 80,000 architectural drawings, 140 linear metres of project files, sketchbooks, photographic material, presentation boards and architectural models, recording the progression of Safdie's career from his first unpublished university papers to Safdie Architects' latest projects.

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Percy Nobbs collection

percy nobbs sketch

Percy Erskine Nobbs (1875-1964) was a prominent Canadian architect and served as the director of McGill’s School of Architecture for many years. His archival papers are held by the Libraries, and a portion of his records have been digitized.

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Ramsay Traquair fonds

traquair manuscript

Ramsay Traquair was the third director of the School of Architecture at McGill University. His personal papers are held by McGill Libraries, and a small portion of the papers in the fonds have been digitized.

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Canadian Architect and Builder

candian architect and builder journal cover page

Canadian Architect and Builder was published between 1888 and 1908 and is the only professional architectural journal published in Canada before World War I. Filled with photographs, drawings, advertisements and valuable articles, it provides a wealth of information on the state of architecture and building in Canada during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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Canadiana

The Black Whale fonds

black whale photo

The Percé Handicrafts Guild was formed to encourage the creation and sale of Gaspé handicrafts, and in 1936 opened a shop in Percé called "The Black Whale." This fonds consists of records related to the operations and administration of the guild and shop.

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Bayfield Charts collection

bayfield map

A collection of 147 Early Canadian nautical maps, referred to as the "Bayfield charts" in honour of Henry Wolsey Bayfield, who began in the early 1800s charting the waterways of Canada. Relief shown by hachures; depths shown by soundings. Maps are mounted on linen.

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Jean Bourdon plans collection 

bourdon plan of fort

Jean Baptiste Bourdon was a seigneur, the first engineer-in-chief and land-surveyor in the colony of New France. The collection consists of manuscript maps and plans on paper depicting the earliest settlements and fortifications at Montreal and Quebec City.

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Canadian corporate reports

1967 annual report cover

One of the oldest and most complete print collections of Canadian corporate annual reports. The collection traces many companies back to the 19th century and covers all business sectors. A portion of these reports have been digitized; additional reports can be consulted in print.

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Expo 67 slide collection

expo 67 photo

A collection of photographic slides taken by Meredith Dixon at the 1967 World Exhibition, or "Expo ‘67," as it was named, that took place in Montreal, Quebec, April 28th through October 29th. The photos show a range of the nations and pavilions represented at the exhibition.

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Harold Griffith fonds

man with sculpted bust

Harold Randall Griffith (1894 – 1985) was a Canadian anesthesiologist and a leader in the fields of anesthesiology. His archival papers contain records pertaining to his introduction of the homeopathic remedy curare into anesthesia, and include correspondence and case records.

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Lawrence Lande collection of Canadiana

lande book cover

One of the most esteemed Canadiana collections in North America, the Lande Collection contains material on early European exploration and settlement of Canada, including early travels in the 16th century, the history of New France, and the British colonial period up to the end of the 19th century.

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James Morrison papers

morrison document

James Morrison was a Montreal merchant and fur trader. These digitized papers are a collection of documents chiefly related to James Morrison's activities as a trader and merchant in Montreal, covering a period from 1651 to 1912 but focusing primarily on 1767 through 1800.

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The Missiskoui Standard

missiskoui standard newspaper page

A collection of 60 issues from 1837-1839 of the Missiskoui Standard, a publication based in what is now Missisquoi County in Quebec. Missisquoi County was central in the armed uprisings in Lower and Upper Canada in 1837 and 1838 and the newspaper provides a front-line perspective of the rebellion.

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Ontario county atlases

historical ontario atlas segment

The Ontario County Atlases Collection consists of 26 atlases published between 1875-1881. Each county atlas consists of a historical text, township and town maps, and names of residents by lot. The atlases are very popular amongst genealogists, community members, and historians.

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W.H. Pugsley collection of early maps of Canada

pugsley map

This collection of 50 early Canadian maps was donated by Dr. William Howard Pugsley, a McGill alumnus, dating from 1556 to 1857. The oldest map is from Ramusio's Delle navigationi et Viaggi, vol. 3, 1556, the first book published to present a detailed account of North America.

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Montreal maps collection

montreal map

Montreal maps dating from 1556 to 1946 that show the development of the city. Collection includes property maps with names of owners, fire insurance plans, and transportation maps showing the development of trams, railways, and roads.

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Thomas Storrow Brown collection

handwritten letter

Thomas Storrow Brown was a member of the patriotes movement in Montreal and a contributor to the Vindicator newspaper. The collection includes Brown's diaries papers reflecting Brown's political concerns and activities in Montreal between 1832 and 1838.

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In pursuit of adventure: The fur trade in Canada and the North West Company

1778 manuscript

This site contains full scans and searchable transcripts of 38 manuscripts relating to the early Canadian fur trade, collectively known as the Masson Papers and covers the period ca. 1790-1820.

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History of the book

Arabic calligraphy collection

arabic calligraphy

 

Arabic calligraphy is of great importance among Islamic arts: Arabic is the language of the Qur’an, and calligraphy is the primary means for the preservation of the sacred text. This collection represents various styles of Arabic calligraphy, from dry black and white calligraphy of the 10th century to colorful illuminated pieces of the 19th century.

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Islamic lithographs collection

islamic lithographs

 

The Libraries’ collections include lithographed books in Arabic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Urdu dated from the eighteenth century to mid-twentieth century.

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William Colgate history of printing collection

colgate print

The William Colgate History of Printing Collection is noted for its extensive holdings on the history and technique of printing; calligraphy and letter forms; design of typefaces and typographical productions; type founding and type founders’ specimens and printers’ manuals and handbooks, including those for colour printing and paper making. We have digitized a small portion of these items. 

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Philippe Masson ex libris collection

ex-libris bookplate

This collection consists of approximately 4500 bookplates from the early 19th century to the beginning of the Second World War, of which 3000 are Canadian in origin.

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History of medicine

Osler Library prints collection

illustration of mcgill campus

This collection brings together a variety of visual documents related to the history of medicine, spanning the 17th to the 20th century. The collection of 2,500 items consists predominantly of prints, though it also includes photographs, drawings, posters, and cartoons.

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Wilder Penfield collection

family photo of wilder penfield and daughter

Wilder Graves Penfield (1891-1976) was the foremost figure of his time in Canadian neurology and one of the world's leading neurologists. This collection contains a selection of images, letters, and other records from the Wilder Penfield Fonds, P142.

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Osler notebooks

handwritten notebook

This collection consists of notebooks, memoranda, and private case notes created by Sir William Osler (1849-1919). Documents date from 1867 to 1897.

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The William Osler photo collection

william osler portrait

This collection chronicles Sir William's life from his childhood in the Canadian wilderness to his medical education at McGill University, his innovative days as a doctor and teacher, and the final years of his life in Oxford, England. Browse the collection of over 380 photographs.

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The Marjorie Howard Futcher photo collection

portrait of Gwendolen Marjorie Howard and Phyllis E.F. Porteous

Gwendolen Marjorie Howard Futcher (1882-1969) was born into a social milieu of prominent Canadian business, political, and academic figures of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This collection consists of two of her photo albums from the 1890s and first decade of the twentieth century.

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Osler Islamic manuscripts

osler islamic manuscript page

The Osler Library houses a large collection of Islamic manuscripts and lithographs written mainly in Arabic and Persian, with some in Turkish and Urdu languages. The majority of these works were donated to the library by ophthalmologist Casey Wood.

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East Asian language works

cover of japanese-language medical book

A collection of medical works in Chinese and Japanese held by the Osler Library. Includes translations of works by William Osler. Works date from the 16th century to the early 20th century.

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Harvey Cushing fonds

the life of william osler

Harvey Cushing (1869-1939) was a pioneering neurosurgeon and close friend to Sir William Osler. In 1925 he published the two-volume Life of Sir William Osler. The Libraries hold the archival papers relating to the research conducted for the biography, a portion of which have been digitized.

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W.W. Francis fonds

ww francis fonds letter

W.W. Francis (1878-1959) was a Montreal doctor, and ran the Osler Library of the History of Medicine until 1959. His archival fonds contains correspondence related to the Osler Library and its holdings, as well as the text of lectures he delivered.

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Harold Griffith fonds

man with sculpted bust

Harold Randall Griffith (1894 – 1985) was a Canadian anesthesiologist and a leader in the fields of anesthesiology. His archival papers contain records pertaining to his introduction of the homeopathic remedy curare into anesthesia, and include correspondence and case records.

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Polk’s Medical Register

polk's medical register cover page

Polk's Medical Register and Directory (1886-1917), known as The Medical and Surgical Directory of the United States before 1900, was a reference publication designed to provide detailed information about medical professionals and institutions in the United States and Canada.

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Hospital World

hospital world periodical cover page

Canadian Health Sciences periodical with 80 issues published from 1912-1923. This journal was formerly the official publication of the Canadian Hospital Association.

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McGill Medical Calendars (Annual Announcements of the Medical Faculty of McGill College)

mcgill medical calendar 1977-78

These medical calendars contain information about the members of the Faculty of Medicine, the Medicine curriculum, the student facilities, and some examples of examinations. This collection is composed of 128 issues spanning 1852 to 1986.

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Hygienic Teacher and Water-Cure Journal

the water cute journal cover page

Hygienic Teacher and Water-Cure Journal was an American health and medicine periodical focused on hydrotherapy and published between 1845-1862. In 1863 the publication was renamed the Herald of Health.

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Annuaire de l'Ecole de médecine et de chirurgie de Montréal

annuaire cover page

The annual directory of the Montreal School of Medicine and Surgery from the Faculty of Medicine of l'Université Laval à Montréal. The "Ecole de médecine et de chirurgie de Montréal" merged in 1891 with the Faculté de médecine de l'Université Laval à Montréal until 1919.

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Gynaecology in traditional Chinese medicine: Selected texts

illustration of doctor with patient

This website contains digitization of four key traditional Chinese gynaecology texts produced in the Tang (618-907) and Song dynasties (960-1278). All four texts include Chinese language transcriptions and are full-text searchable in English and Chinese.

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Islamic studies

Arabic calligraphy collection

arabic calligraphy

Arabic calligraphy is of great importance among Islamic arts: Arabic is the language of the Qur’an, and calligraphy is the primary means for the preservation of the sacred text. This collection represents various styles of Arabic calligraphy, from dry black and white calligraphy of the 10th century to colorful illuminated pieces of the 19th century.

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Tehran Branch publications

tehran branch publications title page

A project between the Institute of Islamic Studies and the Islamic Studies Library at McGill to digitize the publications of the Tehran Branch of the Institute of Islamic Studies. This collection consists of major works by Islamic-Iranian scholars.

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Persianate heritage collection

persianate heritage image

McGill's Persian collection has a rich history predating the founding of the Institute of Islamic Studies and the Islamic studies Library, and includes manuscripts, orphaned leaves, and lithographs. A selection of these materials have been digitized.

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Osler Islamic manuscripts

osler islamic manuscript page

The Osler Library houses a large collection of Islamic manuscripts and lithographs written mainly in Arabic and Persian, with some in Turkish and Urdu languages. The majority of these works were donated to the library by ophthalmologist Casey Wood.

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Islamic lithographs collection

islamic lithographs

The Libraries’ collections include lithographed books in Arabic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Urdu dated from the eighteenth century to mid-twentieth century.

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Literature

Dante books

dante cover page

Dante is one of the most prevalent authors held at McGill Rare Books – representing a rich treasure trove of literary works and commentary. A portion of the Libraries’ Dante holdings have been digitized.

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The Favorite

the favorite journal cover

Subtitled "An illustrated journal of amusing and useful reading," The Favorite was published by George-Édouard Desbarats (1838-1893), a prominent printer based in Montreal. The Favorite followed another similar periodical published by Desbarats, The Hearthstone (1870-1872).

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Chapbook collection

chapbook illustration

The Chapbook collection contains over 900 searchable English-language chapbooks published in England, Scotland, Ireland and the northeastern United States. They contain stories based upon medieval romance, English legends and folklore, or are abridged from popular literature for adults.

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Voltaire manuscripts collection

voltaire manuscript page

The McGill Voltaire collection is extensive, focusing on the prolific and celebrated writer Voltaire (1694–1778). We have digitized 39 manuscripts from this collection, including single letters and codices.

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Der Querschnitt

black and white illustration of bodies in shadow and light

Der Querschnitt was a German avant-garde art and literary magazine based in Berlin and published by German art dealer Alfred Flechtheim between 1921 and 1936. The magazine ended in October 1936 by express order from Heinrich Himmler, and much of the magazine’s archives were destroyed by the Nazis. 

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Manuscripts

Blacker-Wood manuscripts collection

blacker-wood exercise book

Casey Albert Wood (1856-1942) was a Montreal ophthalmologist, ornithologist, and bibliophile. This collection began with Wood's donations and was curated by librarians after his death. It consists primarily of manuscripts on natural history topics such as insects, birds, marine life, plants, and reptiles.

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Arabic calligraphy collection

arabic calligraphy

Arabic calligraphy is of great importance among Islamic arts: Arabic is the language of the Qur’an, and calligraphy is the primary means for the preservation of the sacred text. This collection represents various styles of Arabic calligraphy, from dry black and white calligraphy of the 10th century to colorful illuminated pieces of the 19th century.

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Medieval Books of Hours

book of hours

Books of hours are Christian prayer books popular during the Middle Ages and used to pray at particular fixed times. McGill's collection of books of hours contain 30 single leaves and 12 complete codices of books of hours, circa 1480-1550. Also available via the Internet Archive.

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Islamic lithographs collection

islamic lithographs

The Libraries’ collections include lithographed books in Arabic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Urdu dated from the eighteenth century to mid-twentieth century.

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Medieval music manuscripts

medieval music manuscript fragment

A selection of 14th to 17th century music related manuscripts: Antiphonals, Graduals, Missals, Miscellanies from the McGill Medieval Manuscript Collection.

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Maps

W.H. Pugsley collection of early maps of Canada

pugsley map

This collection of 50 early Canadian maps was donated by Dr. William Howard Pugsley, a McGill alumnus, dating from 1556 to 1857. The oldest map is from Ramusio's Delle navigationi et Viaggi, vol. 3, 1556, the first book published to present a detailed account of North America.

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Bayfield charts collection

bayfield map

A collection of 147 Early Canadian nautical maps, referred to as the "Bayfield charts" in honour of Henry Wolsey Bayfield, who began in the early 1800s charting the waterways of Canada. Relief shown by hachures; depths shown by soundings. Maps are mounted on linen.

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Montreal maps collection

montreal map

Montreal maps dating from 1556 to 1946 that show the development of the city. Collection includes property maps with names of owners, fire insurance plans, and transportation maps showing the development of trams, railways, and roads.

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Egypt maps collection

egypt map

This collection contains some parts of a 1:25,000 scale map series of interwar Egypt. No library holds the complete series, but a number of libraries hold incomplete collections, including McGill.

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Jean Bourdon plans collection

bourdon plan of fort

Jean Baptiste Bourdon was a seigneur, the first engineer-in-chief and land-surveyor in the colony of New France. The collection consists of manuscript maps and plans on paper depicting the earliest settlements and fortifications at Montreal and Quebec City.

View the collection

Ontario county atlases

historical ontario atlas segment

The Ontario County Atlases Collection consists of 26 atlases published between 1875-1881. Each county atlas consists of a historical text, township and town maps, and names of residents by lot. The atlases are very popular amongst genealogists, community members, and historians.

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McGilliana

McGill yearbooks

old mcgill 1899 cover page

These yearbooks were digitized as part of McGill’s 190th anniversary celebrations. Included are Old McGill Yearbooks from 1898 to 2000 and Clan Macdonald Yearbooks from 1931 to 2000. Books can be searched by student name.

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The Public Address

public address

Published by the Information and Public Relations Bureau of the Student's Society of McGill University between 1966 and 1968. The publication states its goals are to "keep the campus, the city, etc., informed of the activities of the Students' Council and its committees."

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The McGill News

mcgill news

The McGill News published its first issue in December 1919 and is published twice a year by the McGill Alumni Association. The magazine highlights the achievements of McGill’s graduates and provides the latest news about the university community.

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Dawson-Harrington families fonds

anna dawson photo

The Dawson-Harrington Families Fonds follows the family of Sir John William Dawson, geologist and Principal of McGill University from 1855-1893, through four generations, including both personal and professional records.

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McGill Annual Calendars

mcgill annual calendar

Calendar of the University of McGill College, Montreal. Calendars have been digitized from 1856 up to 1985.

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Kiang Kang-Hu fonds

invoice with chinese script

Kiang Kang-Hu was a Chinese politician and activist and served as chairman of the Department of Chinese Studies at McGill in in the 1930s. These papers cover the few years he was employed by McGill and include teaching, administrative, and personal records.

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The Marjorie Howard Futcher photo collection

portrait of Gwendolen Marjorie Howard and Phyllis E.F. Porteous

Gwendolen Marjorie Howard Futcher (1882-1969) was born into a social milieu of prominent Canadian business, political, and academic figures of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This collection consists of two of her photo albums from the 1890s and first decade of the twentieth century.

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McGill Medical Calendars (Annual Announcements of the Medical Faculty of McGill College)

mcgill medical calendar 1977-78

These medical calendars contain information about the members of the Faculty of Medicine, the Medicine curriculum, the student facilities, and some examples of examinations. This collection is composed of 128 issues spanning 1852 to 1986.

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Percy Nobbs collection

percy nobbs sketch

Percy Erskine Nobbs (1875-1964) was a prominent Canadian architect and served as the director of McGill’s School of Architecture for many years. His archival papers are held by the Libraries, and a portion of his records have been digitized.

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McGill student publications: 1875-2011

mcgill daily cover page

The chief long-standing student newspaper at McGill, The McGill Daily, was founded in 1911. It had been preceded by the McGill (University) Gazette, the McGill Fortnightly, the McGill Outlook and the (McGill) Martlet. Browse over 9,500 full-text publications from 1875-2001.

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Macdonald campus history: Student publications

macdonald farm jounrnal 1959 cover

The Macdonald Campus History: Student publications collection provides a unique view on agricultural developments and campus life throughout the twentieth century with 1,008 issues dating from 1905 to 1992.

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Music

Medieval music manuscripts

medieval music manuscript fragment

A selection of 14th to 17th century music related manuscripts: Antiphonals, Graduals, Missals, Miscellanies from the McGill Medieval Manuscript Collection.

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19th Century French sheet music collection

'Oh! ta ra ra boum' sheet music cover

The Music Library holds over 19,000 pieces ranging from the 1820s to the early 1900s across a variety of genres, from the romance to the mélodie, chansonnettes and chansons from cafés-concerts, to pieces for music-halls and cabarets artistiques. A portion this collection has been digitized.

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Music McGill

music mcgill cover

Music McGill was a magazine published twice yearly between 1976-1995 with the purpose of keeping graduates and friends of the Faculty of Music informed regarding the activities of the faculty. 

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Concert programmes

1970 concert programme page

The Concert Programmes collection contains programmes of performances relating to the Schulich School of Music. Programmes dating back to 1970 have been digitized. 

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Natural history

The Taylor White collection

taylor white parrot illustration

Taylor White (21 December 1701 – 27 March 1772) was a British jurist, naturalist, and collector. The Taylor White Collection is composed of 938 watercolour paintings of mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles.

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The Gwillim collection

gwillim bird illustration

The collection contains 164 botanical and zoological paintings created chiefly by Elizabeth Gwillim and possibly her sister Mary Symonds, while living in Chennai, India. The paintings create a substantial visual record of the landscape and inhabitants of Madras.

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The Edward Lear collection

lear stork illustration

The collection consists of 50 original illustrations created by Edward Lear (1812-1888) executed primarily in watercolour and pencil. These works are part of Lear's Fifty Original Drawings of Birds and a Few Indistinct Pencil Sketches, and feature depictions of a variety of bird species, including raptors, parrots, cranes, and waterfowl.

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The Blacker-Wood manuscripts collection

blacker-wood exercise book

Casey Albert Wood (1856-1942) was a Montreal ophthalmologist, ornithologist, and bibliophile. This collection began with Wood's donations and was curated by librarians after his death. It consists primarily of manuscripts on natural history topics such as insects, birds, marine life, plants, and reptiles.

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The James Forbes collection of zoological drawings

forbes titmouse illustration

James Forbes (1749–1819) was a British artist and writer who worked for the East India Company from 1765-1784. This collection consists of 57 illustrations of birds, eggs, snakes, and plants by James Forbes chiefly to illustrate his work "Oriental Memoirs," published in four volumes between 1813 and 1815.

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The Feather Book of Dionisio Minaggio

feather book illustration

The Feather Book was originally created in Italy in 1618. 156 pictures were made mostly of feathers, of which 114 are images of birds from the Lombardy area. Other images include hunters, Commedia del’Arte characters, musicians, and tradesmen.

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Periodicals

Annuaire de l'Ecole de médecine et de chirurgie de Montréal

annuaire cover page

The annual directory of the Montreal School of Medicine and Surgery from the Faculty of Medicine of l'Université Laval à Montréal. The "Ecole de médecine et de chirurgie de Montréal" merged in 1891 with the Faculté de médecine de l'Université Laval à Montréal until 1919.

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Canadian corporate reports

1967 annual report cover

One of the oldest and most complete print collections of Canadian corporate annual reports. The collection traces many companies back to the 19th century and covers all business sectors. A portion of these reports have been digitized; additional reports can be consulted in print.

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The Civilian

The civilian journal cover

Officially titled The Civilian: A Fortnightly Journal Devoted to the Interests of the Civil Service of Canada, the journal ran from 1908-1921. Included for a time the newsletter of the Postal Clerks' Association of the Dominion of Canada,” later condensed into a column entitled "Postal notes."

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The Cree Review

cree review journal cover page

A Cree-language paper published in Alberta from 1939-1979 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate congregation in the Catholic Church.

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Der Querschnitt

black and white illustration of bodies in shadow and light

Der Querschnitt was a German avant-garde art and literary magazine based in Berlin and published by German art dealer Alfred Flechtheim between 1921 and 1936. The magazine ended in October 1936 by express order from Heinrich Himmler, and much of the magazine’s archives were destroyed by the Nazis. 

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The Favorite

the favorite journal cover

Subtitled "An illustrated journal of amusing and useful reading," The Favorite was published by George-Édouard Desbarats (1838-1893), a prominent printer based in Montreal. The Favorite followed another similar periodical published by Desbarats, The Hearthstone (1870-1872).

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Hygienic Teacher and Water-cure Journal

the water cute journal cover page

Hygienic Teacher and Water-Cure Journal was an American health and medicine periodical focused on hydrotherapy and published between 1845-1862. In 1863 the publication was renamed the Herald of Health.

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Macdonald campus history: Student publications

macdonald farm jounrnal 1959 cover

The Macdonald Campus History: Student publications collection provides a unique view on agricultural developments and campus life throughout the twentieth century with 1,008 issues dating from 1905 to 1992.

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McGill Medical Calendars (Annual Announcements of the Medical Faculty of McGill College)

mcgill medical calendar 1977-78

These medical calendars contain information about the members of the Faculty of Medicine, the Medicine curriculum, the student facilities, and some examples of examinations. This collection is composed of 128 issues spanning 1852 to 1986.

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The McGill News

mcgill news

The McGill News published its first issue in December 1919 and is published twice a year by the McGill Alumni Association. The magazine highlights the achievements of McGill’s graduates and provides the latest news about the university community.

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McGill student publications: 1875-2011

mcgill daily cover page

The chief long-standing student newspaper at McGill, The McGill Daily, was founded in 1911. It had been preceded by the McGill (University) Gazette, the McGill Fortnightly, the McGill Outlook and the (McGill) Martlet. Browse over 9,500 full-text publications from 1875-2001.

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The Missiskoui Standard

missiskoui standard newspaper page

A collection of 60 issues from 1837-1839 of the Missiskoui Standard, a publication based in what is now Missisquoi County in Quebec. Missisquoi County was central in the armed uprisings in Lower and Upper Canada in 1837 and 1838 and the newspaper provides a front-line perspective of the rebellion.

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Music McGill

music mcgill cover

Music McGill was a magazine published twice yearly between 1976-1995 with the purpose of keeping graduates and friends of the Faculty of Music informed regarding the activities of the faculty.

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Polk’s Medical Register

polk's medical register cover page

Polk's Medical Register and Directory (1886-1917), known as The Medical and Surgical Directory of the United States before 1900, was a reference publication designed to provide detailed information about medical professionals and institutions in the United States and Canada.

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The Public Address

public address

Published by the Information and Public Relations Bureau of the Student's Society of McGill University between 1966 and 1968. The publication states its goals are to "keep the campus, the city, etc., informed of the activities of the Students' Council and its committees."

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The Railway Review

locomotive fire kindler advertisement from 1896

The Railway Review was an American trade magazine published in Chicago for the rail transport industry. McGill Libraries has digitized several issues from the year 1896. 

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The Truth Teller

truth teller journal cover page

The Truth Teller was an Irish-American newspaper published in New York from 1825 to 1835. The journal was founded to defend interests of Ireland, Catholicism, and the principles of civil and religious liberty.

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Philosophy and the history of ideas

Voltaire manuscripts collection

voltaire manuscript page

The McGill Voltaire Collection is extensive, focusing on the prolific and celebrated writer Voltaire (1694–1778). We have digitized 39 manuscripts from this collection, including single letters and codices.

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David Hume collection

home history of england title page

The David Hume Collection is a large and comprehensive collection of 18th century editions of Hume's writings in English and in translation. It also contains works of contemporary comment and criticism, both British and European.

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Social history

Cookbook collection

oglivie's cookbook cover

McGill Library houses one of the Canada's strong collections of historical cookbooks. McGill has digitized a portion of its cookbook collection, beginning with older volumes that are out of copyright.

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Doncaster recipes collection

handwritten recipe card

This collection consists of fifteen volumes, primarily manuscript with some printed, containing over 1,300 culinary and medical handwritten recipes, plus numerous loose recipes also mainly manuscript. The documents in the collection originated chiefly from the Doncaster area of South Yorkshire, centred on Hooten Pagnell Hall.

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