Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library
LibraryAbout
The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, located at the University of Toronto, is Canada's largest repository of publicly accessible rare books and manuscripts. Established in 1973, it is named after Thomas Fisher, a successful merchant-miller who settled in Toronto in the early 19th century. The library houses an extensive collection of over 740,000 volumes and 4,000 meters of manuscript holdings. Notable items in the collection include Shakespeare's First Folio, Newton's Principia, and the Nuremberg Chronicle. The library also holds significant archives, including the papers of Canadian literary figures like Margaret Atwood and Leonard Cohen. Additionally, it features collections related to radical and labor movements, etchings by Wenceslaus Hollar, and ancient texts such as Babylonian cuneiform tablets and Egyptian papyrus fragments.
