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Discover Our Online Exhibitions

From biscuit tins to bees, literary treasures to travel tales – discover exhibitions that bring our archives, books and objects to life.

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Explore rare books, archives, manuscripts and designated collections, plus a growing range of online exhibitions and Reading Room research services

About Special Collections

Free entry

The Museum of English Rural Life
Redlands Road, Reading, RG1 5EX
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Opening hours

Tuesday – Friday 
Reading Room 9:30am – 4:30pm 
Museum & Cafe 9am – 5pm
Full opening hours

Beckett Collection

The world’s largest collection of resources relating to the Nobel Prize winning author, Samuel Beckett.

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Archive of British Publishing and Printing

The archive covers the full range of British publishing activity from 1800 to the present day

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Rare Books

Our rare book collections of over 80,000 volumes include early printed books, private press books, modern literary first editions and ephemera.

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Business and Family Archives

Nancy Astor, William Henry Smith, Huntley and Palmers, DEGW and more

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Writers’ and artists’ papers

Fiction, poetry, journalism, film, photography and architecture

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Reference Collections

Material to support research using our Special Collections, on Beckett, Museum Studies, book history, evacuees and university history

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Rare books, archives and manuscripts

Special Collections

Explore nationally recognised collections, from the Overstone Library to the Beckett and British Printing and Publishing archives.

Access the MERL Library, Archives and Special Collections

Reading Room

Book ahead for archive and Special Collections research, or drop in for Open Access Library use. Priority is given to visitors consulting the collections.

Latest News

Published Date
November 24, 2025

A Century in Print: Exploring Student Life Through University of Reading’s Magazines (Part 2)

We continue our journey through the extensive range of periodical publications housed in the University History collection, also known as…

Published Date
November 14, 2025

A Century in Print: Exploring Student Life Through University of Reading’s Magazines (Part 1)

As part of the Special Collections library team, I am responsible for cataloguing and making available the printed and published…

A pile of letters from the late 1950s showing colourful designs and stamps
Published Date
October 23, 2025

A pile of old letters – new research methods, vintage limitations

  Written by Amanda Knight, Graduate Trainee Archive Assistant, 2024-2025.   As the latest in a succession of Graduate Trainee Archive…

Published Date
October 10, 2025

New events inspired by the DEGW Archive

As part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science, we are delighted to announce two events, hosted by Cardiff University,…

Published Date
May 19, 2025

In the Spotlight: Mid-Century Women Artists from the Charles Hasler Collection

In this post we would like to take the opportunity to spotlight and celebrate the work of three women artists…

Published Date
February 21, 2025

New exhibition – Charles Hasler: A Mid-Century Graphic Designer and Collector

Our new exhibition invites you to explore the work and interests of Charles Hasler (1908-1992), typographer and graphic designer. Hasler’s…

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