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Travel and Exploration

Special Collections has a number of materials related to travel and exploration.  The three largest holdings consist of around 400 travelogues and other published accounts of travel throughout Europe, approximately 100 of which focus on travel within Great Britain; around 150 titles related to travel in North and South America, including emigrants’ guides, sea expeditions, and published accounts of western expansion; and a collection of maps and atlases dating from the 16th century to the present.

How to Use the Collection

With a few exceptions, the collections can be accessed and requested through the library catalog. Finding aids for individual collections are linked on this website. Materials are available for use in the Special Collections Reading Room (room 401) during regular hours. Materials do not circulate. 

MU Library Catalog

Finding Aids for Travel and Exploration

Gary E. and Janet J. Venable Antiquarian Atlas & Map Collection

The Venable Collection documents the history of cartography, geography, and exploration from the sixteenth through the early twentieth century.…

John G. Neihardt Collection.

Biographical Sketch John Gneisenau Neihardt (1881-1973) accepted a position at the University of Missouri-Columbia's Department of English in 1949…

Martin and Margaret Hiller Collection of Audiovisual Materials on China, 1945-1948.

Color photo of two people operating a small boat in a river

Scope and Contents The Hiller Collection documents cities, industries, farming, and everyday life in China during the second phase of the Chinese…

Rare Books

Thick book with an engraved wooden cover and exposed binding

The Rare Books Collection is the default designation for materials in Special Collections that are acquired as individual items. Like Special…

War Poster Collection.

Scope and Contents The collection consists of posters from both World War I and World War II with tourist and other miscellaneous posters from the…

William Least Heat-Moon Papers.

Scope and Contents Material by Wililam Least Heat-Moon (b. 1939). Manuscripts and additional materials from the following books: PrairyErth (A…

Related Exhibits

Hiller Collection

Photograph of a man with sunglasses sitting on a curved tree trunk in a field in Soochow.

The Hiller Collection documents cities, industries, farming, and everyday life in China during the second phase of the Chinese Civil...

Leaders and Heroes 2: The Arts

This exhibit was born out of a desire to showcase materials within Special Collections at the University of Missouri that...

Places in the World: Treasures from the Venable Collection

1600s map of the world shown in two large circles and human figures representing earth, water, fire and air with other figures and symbols

Maps tell us where we are. The most obvious way they do this is geographical, but there is also a...

Selected Items

Hiller 09-063: Man with elephant statue on Elephant Road in Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum

Man in uniform standing in front of grey elephant statue and trees

Photograph of a man with standing elephant on Stone Elephant Road in Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum. There are some words on the elephant. The photo looks…

Hiller 09-095 : Jeep driver speaking with locals Primary tabs

Jeep in front of large grey building, people in jeep talking to other people

Photograph of a jeep driver speaking with local people in Soochow.

Digitized from glass slide. Quality of original is good. Scan: Creo iQsmart3.…

Hiller 09-071: Armillary sphere in Nanking 1

Round Sphere with Dragons on either side with fence and trees

Photograph of the Armillary sphere in Nanking.

Digitized from glass slide. Quality of original is good. Scan: Creo iQsmart3. Image is 600 dpi,…

Map of Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas.

Shows cities, railroads, military outposts, areas of Indian habitation, and geographic features for Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and a portion of New…

Hiller 09-061 : Standing camel statue on Elephant Road in Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum

Grey Camel statue next to road with trees

Photograph of Standing camel on Stone Elephant Road in Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum. The photo looks little orange.

Digitized from glass slide. Quality…

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