Download 19th Century Books from Emory Libraries Website

Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (MARBL)
Level 10, Robert W. Woodruff Library

A glimpse of 19th century British life is available online, courtesy of Emory University Libraries’ Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (MARBL). More than 1,200 novels known as yellowbacks have been digitized using a cutting-edge robotic digital book scanner purchased from Kirtas Technologies, which enables the Libraries to scan thousands of rare and out-of-copyright books in its research collections.

Yellowbacks were cheap, 19th century British literature sold at railway book stalls, with colorful, sensational covers to attract buyers. “They were the equivalent of a popular novel you’d read on a plane today,” says David Faulds, MARBL’s rare book librarian.

Find out how to download the yellowbacks here!