The John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera offers a fresh view of British history through primary printed documents which, although produced for short-term use, have survived by chance. It is one of the most important collections of printed ephemera in the world and a very rich source for social and printing historians. Assembled by John de Monins Johnson (1882-1956), papyrologist and Printer to the University, it contains around 1.5 million items. Spanning from 1508 to 1939 (and beyond in some areas), the strengths of the Collection are in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. The John Johnson Collection (formerly called the Constance Meade Memorial Collection of Ephemeral Printing) was transferred to the Bodleian Library from Oxford University Press in 1968.
Many items in the John Johnson Collection have been digitised on ProQuest and Digital.Bodleian. Find out more here.
A guide for researchers is available here.