Rare Book Collection

Welcome! The rare book collection at the Lillian Goldman Law Library is one of the most outstanding collections of historical law books and manuscripts in North America. The Library’s rare book collection stands at more than 50,000 volumes and is actively growing. It supports the curriculum of the Yale Law School and the research of students and faculty within Yale, and far beyond. The collection also hosts an active exhibition program and digitization projects.

 

Highlights include the world’s most comprehensive collection of the works of Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780), a preeminent collection of Anglo-American law, an exceptional collection of Roman and canon law, the largest collection of Italian statutes outside of Italy, legal manuscripts from the 12th to the 20th centuries, and over 4,000 published trial reports.

 

For news on acquisitions, exhibits and events, please visit the Yale Law Library Rare Books Blog. Visitors may also take a video tour of the Rare Book Collection, and browse thousands of images available on our Flickr site.

The rare book collection is located in the Paskus-Danziger Rare Book Room, on Level L2 of the Lillian Goldman Law Library. The hours are 9am-4pm, Monday-Friday. Appointments are not required, but recommended in order to enable the staff to better serve you. For more information or to make an appointment, please contact Kathryn James, Rare Book Librarian, at (203) 432-4494 or by email at kathryn.james@yale.edu.

Our mailing address is P.O. Box 208215, New Haven, CT 06520-8215, and our shipping address is 127 Wall Street, New Haven, CT 06511-8918.