Welcome to The Manuscript Society

The Mission of the Manuscript Society is to encourage the collection and preservation of manuscripts and documents; to stimulate and aid collectors in their various collecting specialties; to facilitate the exchange of information and knowledge among collectors, scholars, dealers and the general public; and to promote the highest professional and ethical standards.

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Manuscript Mondays

The Manuscript Society is hosting monthly webinars on topics for collectors.  Each hour long webinar provides an opportunity to peek behind the scenes of valuations, writing & publishing, purchasing/selling, auctions and more.

Faneiul Hall in Boston, MA.

2026 Annual Meeting – Boston!

Join us in Boston for the Manuscript Society’s next Annual Meeting, taking place May 27–31, 2026. This year’s meeting coincides with Boston 250, the city’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.

Pictures from the Manuscript annual trip to Oxford & Cambridge.

2025 Cambridge / Oxford Trip Recap

Over several days, Manuscript Society members explored some of the cities’ most storied libraries, museums, and archives—places that hold centuries of history and some of the world’s most extraordinary manuscripts.

Latest Digest

Recent Posts

New Shusaku Endo Novel Found

An unpublished manuscript by acclaimed author Shusaku Endo was discovered at the museum dedicated to his works in Nagasaki, Japan. This complete novel is the first time a fair copy of a finished novel by Endo has turned up since is death in 1996.  The discovery was made on June [...]

June 29, 2020|

Society Response to Carnegie Library Thefts

Over the last couple of years most of us have followed with concern, horror and then anger resulting from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh thefts criminal actions. The case reminds us of how fortunate we are to be working, collecting, and maintaining the extraordinary and fragile, and often unique, works [...]

June 25, 2020|

Carnegie Library Theft – Sentencing of Schulman and Priore

Judge Alexander P. Bicket sentenced  John Schulman, and Greg Priore yesterday. The sentence: home detention and probation. The judge said the non-jail terms were due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. Home confinement with electronic monitoring allows convicted felons trips outside their homes for worship and medical care. Neither man, [...]

June 20, 2020|

British General Lucas’ IRA letters

It was during Ireland's battle of Independence. He was captured on June 26, 1920, while fishing on the river Blackwater in Co Cork.  General Cuthbert Lucas would "escape" on July 30, 1920. Letters between the husband and wife and Lucas’s secret captivity diary are now digitized.  Available online, Thursday, June [...]

June 20, 2020|

Gallatin letter on Slave Trade in 1809

Gallatin 1809 Letter Not long ago, we shared with you the gift of L. Dennis and Susan Shapiro to the Huntington Library. The Shapiro collection includes letters and manuscripts penned by United States presidents from George Washington to Barack Obama. It is particularly rich in primary sources for historians of [...]

June 19, 2020|

Carnegie Library Thefts: Latest Updates

It began in 2017. Became public in 2018. Over 300 books, maps and manuscripts from the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh, PA were missing.  What turned out to be a 25 year venture between two men came to light.  Discovered during an insurance audit. We have been sharing information as we [...]

June 18, 2020|

2500 Islamic Manuscripts to be Digitized

Over the next three years, The National Library of Israel is making more than 2,500 rare Islamic manuscripts from its Islam and Middle East Collection freely available online. These manuscripts span the ninth through 20th centuries.  The texts feature items from royal Mamluk, Mughal and Ottoman libraries. Also, the online [...]

June 16, 2020|
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