American Antiquarian Society
The American Antiquarian Society (AAS) cultivates understanding of the American past, grounded in its ever-growing collection of printed and manuscript sources. Through wide-ranging programs, community engagement, and generously supporting researchers and students of early American history, the Society works to cultivate a broad community of inquiry, locally and nationally.
Since its founding in 1812 by Revolutionary War patriot and printer Isaiah Thomas, AAS has assembled one of the world's largest collections of books, pamphlets, broadsides, newspapers, periodicals, children's literature, music, and graphic arts material printed before the twentieth century in what is now the United States. The library of over four million items also includes a substantial collection of secondary texts, bibliographies, digital resources, and reference works. AAS is also a learned society with over 1,200 members, who are elected based on distinctive achievement in academic or public life.
Since its founding in 1812 by Revolutionary War patriot and printer Isaiah Thomas, AAS has assembled one of the world's largest collections of books, pamphlets, broadsides, newspapers, periodicals, children's literature, music, and graphic arts material printed before the twentieth century in what is now the United States. The library of over four million items also includes a substantial collection of secondary texts, bibliographies, digital resources, and reference works. AAS is also a learned society with over 1,200 members, who are elected based on distinctive achievement in academic or public life.
About AAS Collections:
The American Antiquarian Society's collections of printed, handwritten, and visual primary sources -- and their digitized versions – support the study of the North American continent from colonization through the turn of the twentieth century. Items printed in what became the United States (including Alaska and Hawai'i), Native American tribal nations, and the Caribbean islands are especially well-represented in AAS collections; those from present-day Canada, Mexico, and Central America are collected less comprehensively. Material evidence of the history of the book and printing is a core component of the collection. AAS curators continue to build on areas of strength that provide valuable evidence of everyday life and less often heard voices, including Black and Indigenous people, women, children, enslaved people, immigrants, and members of the lower and working classes.
More information about AAS collections can be found on the AAS website here: https://www.americanantiquarian.org/library/collections-overview
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The American Antiquarian Society's collections of printed, handwritten, and visual primary sources -- and their digitized versions – support the study of the North American continent from colonization through the turn of the twentieth century. Items printed in what became the United States (including Alaska and Hawai'i), Native American tribal nations, and the Caribbean islands are especially well-represented in AAS collections; those from present-day Canada, Mexico, and Central America are collected less comprehensively. Material evidence of the history of the book and printing is a core component of the collection. AAS curators continue to build on areas of strength that provide valuable evidence of everyday life and less often heard voices, including Black and Indigenous people, women, children, enslaved people, immigrants, and members of the lower and working classes.
More information about AAS collections can be found on the AAS website here: https://www.americanantiquarian.org/library/collections-overview
