The Sir Francis Bacon Collection

Portrait of Bacon from a 1649 printing of Proef-Stucken (published by W.C. v. Boxe), a Dutch version of Bacon's Essays

The Sir Francis Bacon Collection is one of the Dalhousie Libraries' most significant research collections and ranks among the top three Bacon collections in North America. This website presents the Dalhousie Bacon Collection's significant holdings of works published by Bacon himself and the many influential editions of his work published prior to 1700. Holdings of important subsequent editions located in the Dalhousie Bacon Collection are also noted, especially the important 19th century edition edited by James Spedding.

Through this website, Bacon researchers from far and wide will be able to learn what Bacon titles are available in the Dalhousie Bacon Collection, and to readily access online the full-text of over 80 Dalhousie Bacon titles that are available through links to the Early English Books Online and Literature Online databases, as well as to other online literature resources. Context is provided by a brief biography of Bacon, a history of the Dalhousie Bacon Collection, and concise thematic overviews of Bacon's writings that highlight volumes held in the collection.

This website focuses on Bacon's writings in all its many forms and editions. Bacon scholarship and critical works are located in the main Killam Library Collection and accessible via Novanet, our online catalogue.