The Poole mss. are a collection of 137 ancient, medieval and renaissance manuscripts and single leaves ranging from the 3rd to the 16th century. The collection was formed by George Amos Poole, 1907- , printer, of Chicago, whose interest was in the development of scripts which have had a direct influence on the design of Western printing types, rather than in illumination and decoration. Most of this material relates to religious matters.
The Pliny mss., 9th cent.-1938, are photostats of Pliny manuscripts assembled by Selatie Edgar Stout, 1871-1969, professor of Latin and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Indiana University.
The Ricketts mss., 9th-19th cent., are illuminated medieval and renaissance manuscripts assembled by Coella Lindsay Ricketts, 1859-1941, calligrapher, of Chicago, Illinois. Most of the material relates to religious matters.
The English legal documents, 1510-1858, consist of mortgages, deeds, indentures, wills, leases, marriage settlements and contracts and powers of attorney.
The Medieval and Renaissance mss., 700-1600, consists of individual items acquired from time to time either as a gift or purchased from a variety of sources.
The Latin American mss. Peru, 1535-1929, consist of over 6500 documents which trace the historical, economic and social development of what is presently known as Peru, with lesser coverage of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador.
The collection consists of a group of 28 hornbooks. Also included are two auction catalogs for sales where some of the hornbooks were sold and a description of a hornbook in brass from dealer Patrick King's list no. 11, 1986.
English Legal Documents mss. IV, 1200-1898, consist of those manuscripts concerned with English legal matters which have been acquired as individual pieces.
The Philippine mss. II, 1594-1908, consists of accounts of the lives and deaths of various saints and other religious figures, copies of royal decrees, correspondence, government and military reports, historical accounts, maps, wills and inventories of estates, and a water-color painting.