Are you curious? Have you ever seen, touched, or smelled a 600-year-old book? The Bell Library makes history come alive through its collection of rare books, maps and manuscripts that focus on trade and cross-cultural interaction before ca. 1800. Our premier collection illustrates the ways in which cultural influences expanded worldwide, with a special emphasis on European interactions. The James Ford Bell Library, its collection, and its innovative programs support scholarship and education at all levels, and enrich our community by advancing understanding of this global heritage, making the world we live in more meaningful.
Macaw
The letters, diaries, sketches, journals and book manuscripts of John Gabriel Stedman (1744-1797) are among the richest archival collections at the Bell Library. Stedman, a soldier of Scots and Dutch parents, left his home in the Netherlands to spend 5 years in Surinam (northern South America) quelling slave rebellions. He published a book relating his experiences, Narrative, of a Five Years' Expedition to Surinam, was published by famed British publisher Joseph Johnson. The Stedman archive at the Bell Library provides an in-depth look at the source material for this work, including some of Stedman's own water colors.
