More on Codex Manuscripts


Non-Latin Languages

Arabic/Persian/Turkish Manuscripts

  • Jeffery (Ms.) 50 manuscripts, mostly Arabic.
  • Smith/Plimpton Oriental: 413 "Arabic, Persian and Turkish manuscripts," listed in a card file created in the 1950s.
  • Smith/Plimpton - Oriental: Islamic Talismans 1-24
  • "X" Manuscripts: includes about 100 Arabic and Persian manuscripts.
  • Arabic papyri and ostraca: See APIS (includes P.Col.inv. 705b, a printed amulet published by R.W. Bulliet, Columbia Library Columns 36.3 (1987) p. 13-20).

Armenian Manuscripts

Armenian Manuscripts 1-7, and some in "X" Manuscripts. List available in binder at reference desk.

Coptic Manuscripts

Coptic Manuscripts 1-18; see also ostraca and papyri. List available in binder at reference desk.

Ethiopic Manuscripts

Ethiopic Ms 1; see also “X" and General manuscripts. List available in binder at reference desk.

Gaelic Manuscripts

48 short manuscripts; many are literary. These were all microfilmed together. List available in binder at reference desk.

Hebrew Manuscripts

  • "X" Mss: includes about 1000 Hebrew Mss.
  • Smith Hebrew Mss: about 12, mostly scrolls: not cataloged, not listed
  • General Mss: about 20 manuscripts

Indic Manuscripts

  • Smith/Plimpton - Oriental: Indic Mss
  • Sanskrit manuscripts: Sanskrit Mss 1-40 (note: although in CLIO they are listed as "Smith Sanskrit," they were bought by the Libraries using the Smith fund in 1961.
  • 257 manuscripts are cataloged individually in CLIO (get them by searching under call number for "Smith."

Main publications:

  • David E. Pingree, Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts at Columbia University (New York: American Institute of Buddhist Studies, not yet published as of December 2008; RBML holds a copy of the manuscript version at the reference desk)
  • H. I. (Horace Irvin) Poleman, Census of Indic manuscripts in the United States and Canada (New Haven, Conn., American Oriental society, 1938).

Samaritan Manuscripts

Samaritan Mss 1 and 2 (and reference to two more in s.l.). See information in binder at reference desk.

Syriac Manuscripts

Syriac Mss 1-2. See information in binder at reference desk.

Tibetan Manuscripts

Tibetan Mss 1-6 and a few in Smith Indic.  See information in binder at reference desk.

"X" Manuscripts

Includes some other non-western languages, including Turkish (X895.4), Swahili, and others.

Western Manuscripts post-1600

Medieval and Renaissance materials constitute a separate unit; the western material listed below dates after 1600.

There are cards in the manuscript/document card file in RBML reference area for these manuscripts, under author. There is also a shelf list card file for each collection. For General Manuscripts, there is also a binder at the reference desk with indexes by date and by language.

Collection Description Number of manuscripts
Park Benjamin Mss Literary 6
Berol Manuscript and printed books made at Ephrata Cloister, PA 12
Dramatic Museum Mss Theater 84
Gaelic Mss Short, mainly literary, mss; microfilmed together. 48
General Manuscripts Post-1600 manuscripts in all languages and subjects 180
Bronson Howard Mss Theater 1
Jeanne d’Arc Mss Joan of Arc 33
Johnson Mss Mostly manuscripts by King’s College President Samuel Johnson. 75
Kilroe Mss Codex Mss. 36
Montgomery Mss Accounting 700
Phoenix Mss Various 21
Plimpton Post-1600 Mss Education 127
Seligman Mss Economics 60
Smith Documents Includes deeds, receipts, and indentures, many
property-related, and date from 1122 to 1883.
2000 (ca. 1500 post-1600)
Smith Post-1600 Mss Mathematics 102
Spinoza Mss Philosophy 21
Typographic Mss Printing and allied arts 30
Witmark Mss Musical theater 12
X Mss See book collection page for more information. 2300