Rare Books and Special Collections
Housed in the William H. Cowles Rare Books Library and the 10,500 square-foot Special Collections vault, our Special Collections constitute over 16,000 items. Subject areas include: philosophy, theology, Jesuitica, literature, labor history, Victorian poetry, travel literature, 16th century imprints and fine printing. Geographical areas include: Northwest history, especially Spokane, the Inland Empire, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and the Columbia River. Over 5,000 volumes constitute our Gonzaga Rare Book Collection focused on theology, philosophy, and the classics, in works mainly from the 16th-18th centuries.