The Huntington is one of the largest and most complete research libraries
in the United States in the field of Anglo-American civilization. About five million books, manuscripts, prints, photographs, maps, and other materials
ranging in date from 3500 B.C. to the present are available to scholars.
The Library has one of the world's finest collections of rare books.
A selection of these items are displayed in the Library Exhibition Hall
to demonstrate the development of Anglo-American civilization over the last
1,000 years. Exhibits include the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer's Canterbury
Tales, the Gutenberg Bible, Shakespeare's quartos and folios, the papers
of the Founding Fathers, and the double-elephant folio editions of Audubon's
Birds of America. The Huntington is the only place in the West where
visitors can regularly view original documents related to the founding of
the United States.
In the Avery Conservation Center manuscripts and rare books are conserved
for future generations, using state of the art techniques.