Rare Books

Loyola University New Orleans Special Collections consists primarily of books relating to the Catholic Church, Louisiana, and New Orleans. Among our roughly 12,000 volumes are many valuable and rare titles, ranging from incunabula to contemporary hand press books. Over the years, generous gifts have enhanced the collection. Our book collections include:

• Jesuitica: Books by and about the Jesuits, chiefly from the Age of Discovery
• J. Edgar and Louise S. Monroe Collection: Finely bound and illustrated books, including 26 examples with fore-edged paintings
• Walker Percy and His Circle Collection: Books, literary journals, and critical studies of Percy and other Southern writers
• Ben C. Toledano Collection: Louisiana books and pamphlets from the 18th through early 20th centuries
• Robert Giroux Collection: 20th century American writers
• Rosalee McReynolds Collection: The book as art, in memory of the Monroe Library’s first special collections librarian