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Chester Beatty Library

The Western Collections

Overview

The Western Collections of the Chester Beatty Library range from the cuneiform tablets of c. 2500 BC to fine artists' books of the mid-twentieth century.

The formation of the collection reflects the collecting fashions of the great American book collectors of the early twentieth century where as far as possible only the best quality items were acquired.

The Library is famous for its rare and illuminated manuscripts, but Chester Beatty also collected over 3,000 rare printed books and nearly 35,000 Old Master prints and drawings.

Many of these books are unique editions, artists' proofs or extra-illustrated - Beatty was interested in more than merely acquiring a first edition.

There are over 1,000 important examples of European book-binding within the collection, which, together with the early papyri collections, show the development of the Western book from the origin of the codex to some of the finest books of the twentieth century.

Publications

Horton, Charles (2000) ' "It Was All a Great Adventure": Alfred Chester Beatty and the Formation of his Library', History Ireland, 8 (2): 37-42.
-- (2003a) Alfred Chester Beatty: From Miner to Bibliophile, Dublin: Townhouse.
-- (2003b) 'The Western Collections', in Michael Ryan et al. The Chester Beatty Library Scala Guide, London: Scala.