The Rare Books Collection, spanning from the 12th century to the present day, comprises over 100,000 volumes with notable strengths in book history and design, African American history and culture, science fiction and fanzines, independent publishing, monographic and subject collections, and Tulane's Legacy collection. Highlights include incunables, manuscript leaves, miniature books, British and American first editions, fine press prints, artist books, works by Phillis Wheatley Peters and Frederick Douglass, 19th-century abolitionist pamphlets, science fiction magazines and fanzines, the archive of Cheap Street Press, and collections from independent presses like Kelmscott and Loujohn. Monographic collections focus on authors like William Faulkner and Lafcadio Hearn, and subject areas include European maps, children's literature, and botanical literature. The Legacy collection, dating back to the 19th century, formed the basis of Tulane’s library and expanded with the merger of Tilton and Howard libraries in the 1930s.