Notes from 1874 on the Woodcuts, Initials and other ornaments of early printed books with reference to the Italian and French renaissance.

Records of the London College of Printing, 1893-1996, comprising:

Papers relating to the Bolt Court Technical School and London County Council School of Photoengraving and Lithography, 1893-1985.

Papers relating to St Bride's Foundation School, 1894-1921.

Papers relating to North Western Polytechnic, 1930-1969.

Papers relating to the College for the Distributive Trades (CDT), 1933-1988. Papers relating to the London School of Printing and London College of Printing, 1922-1996.

The Charles Hasler collection is comprised of printed ephemera, including greetings cards, cigarette cards, journals, invitations, books, exhibition catalogues, sales catalogues, prints, packaging, articles, books, business records, photographs, photocopies, manuscripts, slides, colour transparencies, newspaper clippings and journals and trade literature. There are also defined groupings of material, including designs and artwork, which usually relate to specific projects including: typography (contemporary and historical; particularly monotype), printing techniques (particularly colour), transport, Greenwich, architecture, wine, fashion, watercolour painting, book binding and photography. In addition, the collection includes material from the Ministry of Information campaigns during World War Two, including "Dig for Victory" and "Careless Talk Costs Lives" and material relating to the Festival of Britain, 1951.

Glass slides illustrating the history of printing presses from 15th century Europe onwards, collected from various sources by Albert Hugh Smith and Arthur Brown for use in a proposed illustrated work which was never completed. The slides may date from between the 1940s and the 1960s, when both Smith and Brown were employed at University College London.

Papers of Andrew Wilson, 1809, comprise a letter to [W L Mansel], Bishop of Bristol and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, requesting that 'his Lorship will accept of this copy of the only stereotyped Greek Testament in the world, as a small memorial of A.W.'s sense of his Lorship's partiality to the art of Stereotype Printing'.

Correspondence and papers of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) Secretary/Librarian, 1946-1984, primarily comprise a selection of the general and administrative files of K Howard Drake, with a small amount of correspondence of W A F P Steiner and J A Boxhall. 'British Museum' file, holding correspondence of Drake and Steiner, 1947-1972; 'General correspondence' file relating to Library acquisitions and binding, 1956-1967; 'General correspondence' file on cataloguing and indexing procedures, 1965-1967; 'International Association of Law Libraries: course in law librarianship, Luxembourg, 1966', Drake's file as President of the IALL, 1965-1966; 'International Association of Law Libraries: Uppsala, 1966', Drake's file as President of the IALL, 1965-1966; correspondence between Drake and Elizabeth Moys, Acting Librarian, University of Lagos and later of Glasgow University Library, 1962-1968; 'Nuffield Foundation', correspondence and papers relating to grants to the IALS Library, 1946-1970; 'Standing conference of librarians of the libraries of the University of London', correspondence, 1954-1969; 'University Grants Commission: annual returns', 1948-1965; 'Library policy', draft policy statements, background papers, Library Committee minutes, 1947-1984; correspondence with the Library, Osgoode Hall Law School, Canada, 1949-1961; lists of current legal research topics, 1949-1966; correspondence and papers relating to the K Howard Drake memorial fund, 1968-1975; Secretary/Librarian's telephone directory; printed Finding list of primary source materials for British and Irish Law held by London libraries compiled by W A Steiner (IALS, 1974).

Papers of Robert George Fenton, 1904-1960, mainly relating to printing composition and typesetting, including City and Guilds of London Institute examination results, 1909-1912; homework while at Aldenham Institute, 1912-1916; scrapbook of London School of Printing (LSP) examination results, 1922-1932; notebooks on LSP class subjects 1927-1952, homework 1947, examinations, 1947-1952; papers relating to War Office correspondence course for compositors, 1940s; selection of LSP student printing specimens, 1928; LSP Year Book, 1938-1939; A survey of LSP inception and work, 1939; plans of LSP Composing Room, 1952, 1958; LSP prospectuses, 1955-1961; photographs of Fenton with staff and students in LSP Composing Room, c1956; photograph of retirement of E E Allen, LSP Vice Principal, 1955; printing type specimen sheets and books, including H W Caslon, 1912, 1920 and 1932, Stephenson, Black and Co Ltd, 1927, and Soldans Ltd, 1936; other papers relating to composing and typesetting including, 1930s-1950s, including LSP typeface books, impositions books for printing layouts, papers on monotype and linotype machinery, stereotyping and electrotyping, photo-composition and colour charts. The collection also includes printing manuals and text books, 1910s-1920s; compositors' sticks, quion keys and metal type samples.

The records have been organised by the creating institutions. The clearest starting point for LCC was deemed to be 1949 when the separate founding schools combined, thus London School of Printing and Graphic Arts and the subsequent institutions are their own sub-fonds from LCC/2. LCC/1 contains the organisations and departments in separate subseries. These papers contain items relating to the administrative functions of the College and its non-teaching activities for example, prospectuses, yearbooks and photographs of the College and the local area. Some of these items were created, or collected to document the history of the organisation and its locality. Student work is also included.

In addition to these are materials that were used in teaching: Teaching Aids contains examples of work such as printing blocks, packaging, sample books and advertising that were used to example good practice in printing and design; LCC/* Posters were used both for teaching and for promotion of student and College activities, they have been divided because of this dual purpose and the difficulty in defining the original use. It is also possible that some were used for both purposes but at different times. These items are not yet catalogued.

Records of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers comprising:

Council minutes 1880-1954, 1855-1986; rules and regulations 1888-1927; reports from Council to the Annual General Meeting 1883-1925; reports of Annual General Meeting proceedings 1888-1978; financial records 1881-1954; newspaper cuttings book 1889-1910, 1933-1946; exhibitions registers 1889-1962, 1968-1983; sales books 1890-1942, 1955-1968; sales file 1969-1983; register of names and address 1900-1920; roll of candidates 1920-1933; council signatures 1890-1910, 1920-1960; correspondence between Seymour Haden and the Print Sellers Association 1877-1884; papers for society elections 1963-1978; general correspondence 1880-1989; lists of Diploma Etchings 1882-1891; scrapbooks, 1898, 1894; lists of contributors to exhibitions 1881-1887; prospectus 1881 (also in French and German); photographs of Haden [1902]; photos of exhibition galleries 1909; printed monographs of Haden 1880-1902; papers and correspondence relating to the dispute over the RE charter 1905-1906; files relating to Haden's will 1908;

Catalogues of exhibitions 1881-1990, including annual exhibitions, open exhibitions and various visiting exhibitions;

Joseph Webb Memorial Fund minute book 1922-1981; correspondence 1964-1972; competition papers 1972-1979; and ledger 1965-1976;

Print Collector's Club records including minutes 1921-1991; sale book for Print Collectors Club publications 1939-1955; financial records 1928-1942, 1972-1983; correspondence 1921-1938, 1962-1974; Annual General Meeting reports and drafts 1922-1939; pamphlets for demonstrations of etching, mezzotint, wood-cutting and wood-engraving, acquatint, lithography, line engraving and dry point, 1922-1957; publicity materials 1933-1988; and rule book 1921;

Personal papers collections of Sir Frank Short, c1905-1924 (see separate description); Nathaniel Sparks 1916-1923 (see separate description); Thomas Lupton 1827-1854; and John Landseer [1804].

miscellaneous drawing of Frederick Goulding by James Tissot;

and collection of tools used by Seymour Haden presented to the society by his family.

Papers of Sir Frank Short comprising notebooks c1905-1924; photographs; letters 1889-1924; drawings, and experimental work; monographs, 1912, 1920; copper plates, and account book of William Bernard Cooke (1778-1855, engraver) with J M W Turner, 1822-1825.

Papers of Nathaniel Sparks including letters to Sparks from Alfred Bentley, artist and drypoint engraver, 1916-1917, with 2 photographs; and letters and photographs from Malcolm Osborne, 1916-1925.

The earliest records of the Charles London Pickering collection were collected during his years as a print student at the London County Council Central School of Arts and spans all his career as a lecturer of Typography and Inspector of Education until the year of his death in 1998.

The collection contains material covering the history of printing, typography and the book trade from the 18th to 20th centuries and some interesting early bindings, which can be found in the University of the Arts library. Most records of the Charles London Pickering collection fall into the time after 1949, when he was appointed as Inspector of Education (HMI). The collection covers Pickering's lifetime involvement in various print societies, as evidenced by his annual membership cards which date from 1926 to 1992, correspondence and photographs.

Most notably records on the Double Crown Club, the Association of Teachers of Printing and Allied Subjects (ATPAS) and the Wynkyn de Worde society can be found. Through print samples, pamphlets and articles on printing and print education the development of the craft of printing, especially print education, in the 20th century can be followed.

Papers of Paul Peter Piech, 1960s-1970s, mainly comprising copies of books produced by the Taurus Press, his private press begun at his home in Bushey Heath. These books include America and Selected poems, both by William Blake; several are very limited editions. There are also copies of books illustrated by Piech using woodcuts and linocuts.

Printed material, pamphlets, leaflets, and booklets, relating to printing education, printing apprenticeship, and technical and vocational training, 1913-1991, including London County Council report, Training and employment in the printing trades, 1914; War Office correspondence course on letterpress machine work, 1943; Vocational training of disabled persons in the printing industry, Ministry of Labour memorandum, 1944; draft syllabus for City and Guilds Printing Course, 1983; report 'Equalising the opportunities for women in printing and publishing', the Printing and Publishing Industry Training Board, 1982; booklets relating to training in printing and graphic arts in Austria, France, West Germany, Italy and the USA, 1950s-1960s; papers of Walter Rankin for a correspondence course in lettering, office management, stonework, job composition, machine work, comprising course work and correspondence with tutors of the Typographical Correspondence School of Lancaster, Lancashire, 1913-1916.