Avery Classics Collection

The Avery Classics Collection is the rare book collection of Avery Library and one of the largest architectural rare book collections in the world. Its strengths reflect the Library's original subject scope, established by Avery's founders in 1890: architecture, archaeology, urbanism and the decorative arts.

05_Stroitel’naia promyshlennost’ 1932.04_website

Image Credits

Hans Vredeman de Vries. Das erst Buch, gemacht auff die zwey Colomnen Dorica vnd Ionica, sampt jren podien, bases, cornicen, capitelen, architraben.... Antwerp, 1576-1578. AA560 V98 F

Le Corbusier. Poème de l'angle droit. Paris, [1955]. AA653 J3 P754 F

Eighty-Two Views of Cleveland. Cleveland, [190?]. AA735 C5 Ei44 S

Michigan Stove Company. Specimens of leading specialties from the assortment of the Michigan Stove Company : "The world's best" Garland stoves and ranges. Buffalo, [ca. 1880-1901]. AT3258 M582 1880

Stroitelʹnai︠a︡ promyshlennostʹ. April 1932. LSI 133077

Andrea Pozzo. Rules and examples of perspective, proper for painters and architects, etc. London, 1707. AA2710 P872 F

Louis Bretez. Plan de Paris, commencé l'année 1734. Dessiné et gravé sous les ordres de Messire Michel Étienne Turgot [et al.] Achevé de graver en 1739.... [Paris?, 1739]. AA1045 B75 FF

Overview

Avery Classics contains approximately 40,000 printed volumes published over seven centuries, from Leon Battista Alberti’s De re aedificatoria (1485) to the recent limited edition volume, Olafur Eliasson’s Your House (2006).
The Classics collection also has important holdings of graphic suites, periodicals, manuscripts, broadsides, photographs, and printed ephemera.
All Avery books that were produced before 1801 are in Classics. The collection also includes significant editions of major works created after 1800, as well as works that possess distinctive physical characteristics, such as special bindings, exceptional printing, innovative design, autograph inscriptions, or other signs of former ownership.
Notable special collections within Classics are the Trade Catalog Collection, which is one of the largest collections of catalogs of the American building trades anywhere, and the American Viewbook Collection, which includes books, pamphlets, and brochures that document cities, towns, and buildings throughout the United States.

Working with the Collection

To Request an Item:

All items must be requested one day ahead of your visit as there is a 24 hour turnaround time.
If you are a Columbia University affiliate please fill out this form in advance of your visit.
If you are not a Columbia University affiliate please email us in advance of your visit and include the title, author, and call number of the item you want.

To Schedule a Class:

Contact us to schedule a class using Avery Classics materials. Past classes have focused on topics ranging from Renaissance architectural treatises to New York City land maps to Modernism in Print. We are happy to help you to develop sessions relevant to your syllabus.

Reading Room Policies:

Reader registration
All Avery Classics readers, including affiliates, must complete a reader registration form, valid for the academic calendar year, upon arrival at the Classics Reading Room.
Photo identification cards
Readers must present traceable photo identification card, such as a valid passport, driver’s license, or card. Photo ID cards are held while material is in use.
Briefcases, large purses, bags, coats, and umbrellas must be checked with the Reading Room attendant.
Pencils or laptops only are permitted for note taking.

Image Requests

For personal use
At the discretion of the assistant in the Classics collections, readers may photograph items for personal reference. Use of tripods and flash is prohibited.
For publication
To request an image, contact us and be as specific as possible regarding the work of art and intended use. Photographic and/or reproduction fees may be charged for an image request. For general terms and conditions, consult Digital Imaging Services. Please note that photography may not be available or possible due to the physical condition of objects. It is the patron's responsibility to clear all rights for works of art protected by copyright.

Reading Room Exhibition

Monoprint by Christopher Stern from Something lived, something dreamed: urban design and the American West by William McDonough, 2004. (AA9105 M138)

New Acquisitions 2017-2018

Curator: Teresa Harris

June 4 - September 28, 2018
Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Avery Classics Reading Room, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library

A selection of new acquisitions from the past academic year is currently on display in Avery Classics. Materials range from Soviet photo journals to a hand-drawn copy of Vignola's seminal treatise on the architectural orders to documents of The Architects' Resistance (TAR), an activist movement formed by students from Columbia, MIT, and Yale in 1968.

Past Exhibitions

Avery Classics Online

Recent Acquisitions

Avery Classics maintains an active acquisitions program through gift and purchase. To view lists of recent acquisition highlights, select from the following links:

Last updated Jan. 20, 2016