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Welcome!    We invite you to visit, explore, and learn with us

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The James Ford Bell Library documents the history and impact of international trade prior to ca. 1800 C.E. Our premier collection of rare books, maps, and manuscripts illustrates the ways in which cultural influences expanded worldwide, with a special emphasis on European interactions. The James Ford Bell Library, its collection, and its innovative programs support scholarship and education at all levels, and enrich our community by advancing understanding of this global heritage, making the world we live in more meaningful.


Preparing for the future by understanding the past

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The James Ford Bell Library was created "to establish an historical background and knowledge of this great economic force [trade] and the part it has played and still plays in the development of the present-day world."
              —James Ford Bell, 1954