Selected Special Collections

Henry Harrisse Collection

Publications, papers, and maps pertaining to the early exploration of America

Perhaps best known for Bibliotheca Americana Vetusissima, a description of over three hundred writings on America published between 1492 and 1551, Henry Harrisse (1829-1910) wrote extensively on Christopher and Ferdinand Columbus, John and Sebastian Cabot, and the early voyages of American exploration. Through his bequest, the Library of Congress acquired in 1915 his personal copies of his publications, complete with marginal comments and interleaved notes. In addition to over two hundred volumes, the collection preserves correspondence pertaining to Harrisse's research, an original letter by Pietro Martire d'Anghiera, and a manuscript (ca. 1533) describing a voyage along the northern coast of South America.