Books & eBooks
Books on individual places, travel and exploration
All books in the Topography section have a shelfmark beginning with T. There are over 230 sub-divisions within the Topography section, arranged strictly in alphabetical order from T. Abyssinia to T. Zululand. The shelfmarking system, substantially unrevised since its inception a century ago, retains many place-names current at that time. Sub-divisions include continents and regions (e.g. T. America, South), nation states (e.g. T. France), and smaller areas within nation states or covering land in several nation states (e.g. T. Kurdistan or T. Danubian Provinces). Books covering the Indian sub-continent, for example, will therefore be found at T. India, T. Beluchistan, T. Cashmere and T. Asia (Gen.).
Three cities have their own shelfmarks, located in their alphabetical positions (i.e. not within England, France, or Italy): T. London; T. Paris; and T. Rome.
There is a separate shelfmark for works on major voyages (historical and modern): T. Voyages; but works on travel and exploration of particular places will be found under the appropriate country or region sub-division, as above.
The main alphabetical sequence of Topography shelfmarks begins in the Back Stacks in the front part of Level 1 and covers T. Abyssinia to T. England, Dewsbury; the remainder of the sequence (T. England, Digswell to T. Zululand) is shelved in the rear section of Level 1. There are two separate sequences for oversize books: larger format books have the designation ‘4to.’ (quarto) in their shelfmark, and very large books have the word ‘folio’; these are shelved in the front part of level 1.
Guide Books
The Library’s main collection of guide books is shelved in the gallery above the Circulation Desk in the Issue Hall. There is a wealth of material of historical interest, dating from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including a collection of Baedeker guides and Murray’s handbooks. In addition, there is a series of guides to each state and many cities in the USA, shelved at T. America (Gen.) Guide Books in the main Topography section; and a collection of pamphlet guides to National Trust properties, shelved at R.R. Guide Books in the Writers’ Room.
Archaeology
The Topography section includes a great deal of material of archaeological interest. Books about archaeology and excavation in general, or about the theory of archaeology, can be found in T. Archaeology (Gen.). Books on archaeology in a particular country can be found in the Topography sub-division for that country (eg T. Turkey). There are a number of exceptions to this general rule. Books on archaeology in Europe as a whole are found in T. Archaeology (Gen.). Books on the archaeology of the Germanic peoples are shelved at T. Teutonic Archaeology. Books on archaeology in Egypt and Assyria are shelved in the History stacks (Levels 2, 3 and 4) at H. Egypt (Ancient) and at H. Assyria & Babylon. Books on the archaeology of the Slavic peoples can also be found in the History stacks, at H. Slavs.
Reference and general works
A range of topographical reference works are kept for consultation in the Library’s main Reading Room on the 1st Floor. Gazetteers to all parts of the world can also be found in the Reading Room, at the shelfmark R.R. Dicts., Geography, Gazetteers &c. The shelfmarks R.R. Dicts., Antiquities and R.R. Dicts., Classical include a rich collection of reference works on archaeology, the ancient world and classical civilisations.
Books on cartography and the history of maps and map-making are shelved in the Science & Misc. section at the shelfmark: S. Maps (and S. Maps, 4to. and S. Maps, folio for oversize books).
Books on the subject of topography, as opposed to topographical books, can be found in the Bibliography section (on the 5th Floor), under the shelfmarks: Bibliog., Topography &c. (Gen) and Bibliog., Topography, England &c. Included here are also bibliographies of individual countries and bibliographies of writings on travel and exploration.