Introduction to Printed Ephemera Collection

Historic printed ephemera tells us much about the issues, events, and ordinary people that have shaped our past. Produced in a variety of formats including broadsides, broadsheets, leaflets, pamphlets, and programs, printed ephemera is created to meet an array of immediate needs, usually transitory in nature, and is not intended to be saved. Indeed, part of the delight of working with these elusive scraps of yesterday's "stuff" is due to the irony that it has survived to speak to us of the concerns and conditions of everyday living experienced by past generations of average people.

Printed Ephemera: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera includes 17,000 items that represent some of the subject strengths and amazing diversity of the entire collection. This collection, highlighting some dominant themes and items of special interest, offers a fascinating array of ephemera with something of interest for everyone, and will encourage further exploration of the Rare Book Division's entire collection.