Benefiting from a unique collaboration between the world’s oldest publisher and the renowned Cambridge University Library, the Cambridge Library Collection makes accessible in new ways important historical works from the Library’s collections. The combination of state-of-the-art scanning technology and the Press’s commitment to quality gives today’s readers access to the content of books that until now would have been available only in libraries.

Already a pioneer in the re-publishing of titles from its own backlist, Cambridge University Press is extending its reach to include other books which are still of interest to researchers, students and the general reader. The Press’s unique relationship with Cambridge University Library allows access to a vast range of out-of-print and out-of-copyright titles.

With subjects ranging from travel to maths and from life sciences to music, the Cambridge Library Collection allows readers access to books they would otherwise find it hard to obtain: writings by Charles Darwin and his circle, and studies on Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Handel and Wagner all appear in the list, alongside the works of the greatest nineteenth-century mathematicians, and a range of books on Cambridge from the serious to the scandalous.

Each page is scanned and the resulting files undergo a rigorous process of cleaning, in which any blemishes are removed to obtain a crisp and legible text. Each book has a new cover design and a specially written blurb which highlights the relevance of the book to today’s readers. The latest print-on-demand technology then ensures that the content of these rare and sometimes fragile books will be made available worldwide.