Philosophy Collections

Scope of the collection

The Library’s philosophy collection consists of over 20,000 volumes covering a wide variety of topics in the field. The collection covers both analytic and continental philosophy, as well as many more specific branches, including philosophy of art, political philosophy and the history of philosophy, in addition to a wide range of historical works, with substantial collections of ancient and medieval philosophy.  Most material is in English, but the Library also holds sizeable collections of French, German, Ancient Greek and Latin philosophical works, among others.

While a considerable proportion of the resources are held under the Philosophy shelfmark, some resources, particularly foreign language works, are found elsewhere in the Library. This guide aims to pinpoint the most useful locations for research in philosophy.

Founded in 1841, the Library’s collection has grown each year and we hold titles from the late 18th century onwards on the open shelves.  As a result, our collection reflects the evolution and changes in thinking in a particular subject and does mean that you may come across titles which contain ideas and vocabulary that would be considered abhorrent today. The collection continues to grow with some 5,000 new titles being added each year. As we develop the collection, we seek to ensure that the controversial topics of today are represented from all sides of a debate.  

Understanding shelfmarks

The Library’s collection is divided into broad subject areas (e.g. History, Literature, and Topography) and then into smaller areas, arranged alphabetically. Within each subject category, books are arranged alphabetically by their author’s surname or, in the case of edited collections or books with multiple authors, by their title.  Check the Catalogue record for the ‘shelved under’ information. 

In order to make the most effective use of space, the collection is also shelved by size. Check the end of shelfmarks for the notations 4to. (Quarto), Small Folio, Folio, and Folio Extra Large, which may indicate a different place to look for the books. 

Above is an example of a book record from the Catalogue. Here you can see that the book is available (i.e. on the shelf) in the Philosophy section and shelved under Wittgenstein.

Labels on the edges of the shelves will guide you through the section. Some shelfmarks are large and are subdivided further by letters marking the authors’ surnames (or titles in the case of edited collections).

Books may be requested and put aside ready for collection, but we would always encourage members to browse the shelves for themselves and discover the books they did not know they needed. Items from the Library’s Special Collections that cannot be borrowed can be consulted in the Library under supervised conditions with 72 hours’ notice.

Books and eBooks

The Library’s collection includes both academic eBooks and other fiction and non-fiction eBooks available through the Libby platform. All academic eBooks will appear in your search results in the Library catalogue. Those available through Libby are also in our catalogue but can also be searched separately through the Libby platform, which you also need in order to access these titles.

The majority of the collection is shelved under the Philosophy shelfmark, which contains most of the Library’s works in philosophy proper, both in English and in other languages. Books under the Philosophy shelfmark are shelved in a single alphabetical sequence, not arranged by topic.

Philosophy can be found on Floor 3 of the Central Stack, after the L. French Literature section; Philosophy, 4to and Philosophy, Folio follow directly from the main sequence.

In addition to the Philosophy shelfmark, many other areas of the Library contain resources on philosophy, in part due to the nebulous nature of the subject. Some specific areas are discussed further below.

Although most foreign language philosophy can be found under the Philosophy shelfmark, some will be found under the relevant section of the Literature (L.) shelfmark, most notably, all Ancient Greek and Latin philosophy will be found under L. Greek & Latin Texts and L. Greek & Latin Literature, Translated.

Interdisciplinary areas of philosophy can sometimes be found under the Philosophy shelfmark but may also be found shelved with the relevant subject. For instance, A. Art for the Philosophy of Art, S. Science (General) for the Philosophy of Science, Philology (General) for the Philosophy of Language etc.

Finally, correspondence and private writings of philosophers, as well as their biographies can be found in the Biography section on Floors 3 and 4 of the Central Stack. If you are unsure where to find a particular book, always consult the Library Catalogue for further information.

The following is a list of relevant shelfmarks for research in Philosophy, sub-divided by sub-field. Due to the expansive nature of the subject, this list is not exhaustive, so always check the Library’s Catalogue when looking for a particular book.

Ancient Philosophy:
L. Greek and Latin Texts
L. Greek and Latin Literature, Translated

Medieval Philosophy:
L. Later Latin Literature
R. Religious and Theological Literature

Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics:
A. Aesthetics
A. Art (General)
See also the Guide to the Art Collections

Philosophy of History:
H. Methods of Historical Study
H. Philosophy of History
Philosophy of Language and Literature:
L. Literature, History of (General)
Philology (General)

Philosophy of Mind:
S. Psychology
S. Psychology (Animal)
S. Mental Health
See also the Guide to the Psychology Collections

Philosophy of Science:
S. Science
S. Biology
S. Health
S. Medicine
S. Natural History
S. Physics

Political and Social Philosophy:
S. Political Science
S. Political Economy
S. Social Science
S. Education
S. Feminism
S. Gender and Sexuality
H. Race Relations

Religious Philosophy and Theology:
R. Religion and Philosophy of Religion
R. Religious and Theological Literature

Other:
Philosophy
S. Law
S. Logic
S. Mathematics

Analytic Philosophy

The majority of the Library’s analytic philosophy collections can be found under the Philosophy shelfmark. However, the works of a number of key figures, such as Gottlob Frege, are instead located in S. Logic or S. Mathematics, both on Level 5 of the Backstacks.

Ancient and Medieval Philosophy

The Library holds particularly strong collections of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy. The majority of these collections are found in Literature under L. Greek and Latin Texts and L. Later Latin Literature, on Floors 3 and 4 of the St. James’ Stack. The collection Includes multiple editions of the collected works of Plato and Aristotle as well as medieval thinkers such as Erasmus and William of Ockham. The Literature shelfmark also contains both historical and modern commentaries on these works, including a number of works from BRILL’s Philosophia Antiqua series. Works of medieval theologians and philosophers of religion can also be found in R. Religious and Theological Texts.

Political and Social Philosophy

The Library’s substantial collections of political and social philosophy are located primarily in S. Political Economy, S. Political Science and S. Social Science, all on Levels 5 and 6 of the Backstacks. Several other shelfmarks in Science and Miscellaneous and History also have relevant texts, as listed above. In addition, a number of works are still located under the main Philosophy shelfmark.

Reference Materials

A range of reference works are located in the Reading Room (1st Floor), at the shelfmark R.R. Dicts., Philosophy. These works include the 10-volume Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, as well as a number of useful single-volume works such as the Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy and the Edinburgh Encyclopedia of Continental Philosophy.

Journals, eJournals and online resources

The Library holds several periodicals which complement the monograph philosophy collection. These include Philosophy, the Journal of Philosophy and Radical Philosophy. Many physical periodicals are now stored off-site but may still be consulted online through the Catalogue.  Physical copies can be requested through the Catalogue with 48 working hours notice. Many periodicals are also now either unsubscribed or defunct, but the Library also maintains an online subscription to a wide variety of philosophy journals so that the latest copies can be consulted, these include the Journal of Philosophy, Mind, Noûs, and Philosophy, among many others.

Through the online Catalogue, members can view a range of electronic journals – as well as other electronic publications and databases – in the library or remotely. There is also access to JSTOR, an electronic periodicals archive that allows members to access back-runs of over 750 additional periodical titles.  

Other useful resources include:
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
https://plato.stanford.edu/
A comprehensive bibliographic resource covering a wide variety of philosophical topics:
https://philpapers.org/