The 17th Century Collection is a small but expanding collection of books printed 1600-1699. The books it contains are a good reflection of this period as a time of rebellions, intrigues and conspiracies; hierarchical power; and strong religious views. Sermons and speeches were commonly printed.

The 18th Century Collection contains approximately 4000 volumes printed 1700-1799. The collection covers a variety of subjects including aspects of the penal system, education and the constitution. Highlights include the famous treatise by the English philosopher and enlightenment thinker John Locke, Some thoughts concerning education ( 1772) in which Locke applies his theories of the self and the mind to approaches to education and The state of the prisons in England and Wales: with preliminary observations and an account of some foreign prisons and hospitals (1784) by the English philanthropist and prison reformer John Howard, detailing his findings after visiting several hundred prisons across England, Scotland and Wales, in a series of reports, maps and plans.

The 19th Century Collection of books published 1800-1899, is broad in subject coverage but English literature is well-represented with works by such authors as R. Browning, A. Tennyson, D.G. Rossetti, C. Dickens, G. Crabbe, C.A. Swinburne, G. Meredith, R. Kipling and G. Eliot in the collection, as well as works by some lesser-known nineteenth-century writers and some nineteenth-century editions of earlier works.The collection includes first editions of Lewis Carroll's last novel for children, Sylvia and Bruno (1899), and of The Hunting of the Snark (1876). There is also local history material, such as local auction catalogues and C. Hindley's The history of the Catnach Press: at Berwick-upon-Tweed, Alnwick, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in Northumberland, and Seven Dials, London (1887) and some general history, natural history, travel accounts and nineteenth-century editions of Ancient Greek and Latin classical works.

This collection of approximately 1500 nineteenth-century novels consists almost entirely of the works of lesser-known This collection of approximately 1500 nineteenth-century novels consists almost entirely of the works of lesser-known writers, such as Rosa Carey, Emma Warboise and Alexander Grant. Scottish writers are also well-represented in the collection.

The 20th Century Collection, because it contains books which were published 1900-1999, is multi-disciplinary in its subject coverage. Literature is represented in the works of such authors as Siegfried Sassoon, T.S. Eliot, W.H. Auden, Jon Silkin and Robert Graves. There is local history, in the form of Jackson, G. The Boer War and the Liberal Party in Newcastle and Gateshead (1998); Willis, P. Capability Brown in Northumberland (1983) and Pawson, H.C. Cockle Park Farm: an account of the work of the Cockle Park Experimental Station from 1896-1956 (1960). Whilst there are some items relating to World War I, there is a significant amount of material relating to World War II - published 1939-1943, often by Penguin (or the Pelican imprint) in the iconic early paperback series. This material includes E.O. Lorimer's What Hitler Wants [1939] - a Penguin Special which achieved record-breaking sales, as well as F. Lafitte, The internment of aliens (1940) and Glover, E. The psychology of fear and courage (1940).

This is a collection of approximately 600 pamphlets and short publications on world affairs in the Twentieth Century. Many themes are covered, including politics, economics, civil liberty, democracy and religion, and many of the countries of the world feature. Examples of titles in the collection are Full employment in a free society; I was a Franco Soldier; The hydrogen bomb and you; What the Arab World really wants; The Basques and the Communists; British policy in the Far East; Two Sides in Germany: Which is yours?; Youth and Anti-Semitism; Haile Salassie: the Plea for Ethiopia; Japanese Naval expansion; Chinese Women and the War; and Banking in Soviet Russia. Many prominent figures are represented as authors, including Marx and Engels, Kropotkin and Liu Shao-Chi.

The 21st Century Collection is newly-established but, as it expands, will contain books on miscellaneous subjects from varied sources which were published 2000-2099. Currently, these books are likely to be issued by private presses, in limited print-runs, relate to other collections in Special Collections, have interesting or significant provenance, or be particularly valuable due to them being fine or extra-illustrated copies. One example is Bajac, Q. L'image révélée: l'invention de la photoggraphie (2001) which reproduces a Lerebours daguerreotype, Port Ripetta, à Rome, from our holdings on page 112.

Brian Alderson (b. 1930) is a pioneer of children’s literature studies in Britain as a distinguished author, reviewer, and translator. He has also collected books for more than 60 years, beginning when he was an undergraduate with cheap editions of work by poets Ezra Pound and T.S.Eliot. His interest in children’s books came later but soon became a lifelong passion, resulting in the curation of a collection of over 20,000 books, dating from the 17th century to the present day. This collection, donated jointly to the University and Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children's Books, represents a vast and diverse distinctive resource.