Collections A-Z
In addition to general collections and online subscription databases, journals, and ebooks, the Library holds more than 500 named collections which are distinguished by their specialized subject matter, age, uniqueness, or value. Most of the listed collections on this page are located in the John Hay Library. To locate digitized collections, see the list available at the Center for Digital Scholarship site and search the Brown Digital Repository.
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Sidney S. Rider Collection
The Sidney S. Rider Collection on Rhode Island history, the largest private collection of materials related to Rhode Island, was presented to the library in 1903 by Marsden Perry. Rider was a leading Providence bookseller, publisher and antiquarian who had amassed a collection of manuscript and printed materials from the 18th through the early 20th centuries. The collection includes books, pamphlets, manuscripts, broadsides, ephemera, scrapbooks and newspapers compiled over 50 years of collecting. Notable among the ephemera are posters, cartoons, playbills, ballots, carrier's addresses, theater programs, tax bills, lottery tickets, death notices, and funeral invitations. Significant sections of the collection pertain to the Dorr Rebellion of 1842 and to the life and career of Rhode Island lawyer and Congressman Thomas Allen Jenckes.
Researchers should conduct an author search on "Rider, Sidney S." in order to locate items from the printed collection.
Format(s): Books, Pamphlets, Manuscripts, Broadsides, Maps, Graphics, Letters, Documents, Scrapbooks
Library: John Hay
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Access to the collection:
Online Catalog (BruKnow):
Other Online Access:
Research Guide: Sidney S. Rider Collection on Rhode Island History
Related Collections:
Dorr (Thomas Wilson) Papers
Jenckes (Thomas Allen) Papers