Special Collections

The Rare Book Collection
The Rare Book Collection of 7,000 volumes includes 1,035 volumes printed in the 16th century. Most of the remaining volumes were printed in the 17th century, but there are a significant number of titles from the early 18th century and a few titles from the 19th century. The works from the 16th century include 38 imprints of Philipp Melanchthon, the younger colleague of Martin Luther. Most of the works printed in the 17th century deal with the origin and interpretation of the Lutheran Confessions.

The collection contains many biblical texts, including the fifth edition of Erasmus’ Greek New Testament (1535), Beza’s Greek-Latin New Testament (1559), most of the critical editions of the Greek New Testament through the 18th century, and the earliest German Bible printed in America (1763).

If you have any questions about the Rare Book Collection, please direct them to Ericka Raber.

The Loehe Collection
For the 2005 International Loehe Conference held at Wartburg Seminary, Reu Memorial Library gathered Loehe books from several collections to create a Loehe Bibliography.  Wilhem Loehe was a driving force behind many German pastors coming to the United States and forming churches.  The Loehe Bibliography contains books from Reu Memorial Library’s circulating, rare book, and archive collections.  These books are either written about Loehe or written by Loehe.  Please stop by the library and read up on an inspiration to many Lutheran churches in the United States. Check out the Loehe Bibliography!