American literature from the 19th and early 20th centuries is well represented in Special Collections. The American Literature Collection mirrors the types of material found in the Victorian and Edwardian Collections. Consisting of the writings of novelists, poets, dramatists, and illustrators, this collection of several thousand volumes supports the teaching and research of undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty in all aspects of literature, intellectual history, children’s literature, folklore, and biography.

The core of the American literature Collection was obtained in the 1960s from Fred A. Rosenstock, a Denver businessman, book collector and bookseller. BYU actively seeks to purchase first editions of literary works by both well-known and lesser-known American authors.