London Missionary Society Collection
The Library holds an important collection acquired from the London Missionary Society, and which relates to the Taiping Rebellion and Christianity in China. The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) was one of the greatest upheavals in modern Chinese history. The London Missionary Society material, includes twenty-four pamphlets published by the Taiping rebels and two original proclamations from leaders of the movement. The Rebellion is also well covered in other Chinese and Western sources held by the Library.
The London Missionary Society collection is also significant for its Chinese translations of Christian works. These include more than sixty editions of the Bible translated into literary and colloquial Chinese and local dialects by British, American and other missionaries. A number of these translations are now rare.