The Scope of the Bill Douglas Centre's Collections

The Centre's collections cover all aspects of cinema and pre-cinema history. Nothing was ever seen by Bill or Peter as too unimportant to be collected - a strategy which will be of enormous benefit to future visitors, when the ephemera of the present has become of inestimable value. A brief listing of the numbers of items held by the Centre may help to give an idea of the scope of the collection, but nothing can substitute for a visit to see for yourself.

Categories covered by the collection include critical, historical and technical works on cinema, annuals, biographies, screenplays and stage plays, books on specific films, fiction related to film, works on pre-cinema entertainments, books on cinema buildings, panorama, diorama, magic lantern, kaleidoscope, shadowplay, silhouettes, praxinoscopes, zoetropes, photography, peepshows, optical illusions, 3D, stereography, anamorphosis, publicity for cinemas, films and theatres, items relating to TV, theatre and radio.

Books: approximately 18000 ranging from the mid-17th Century to the present day and including biographies, critical appraisals, annuals, fiction, histories, screenplays, etc.

Periodicals: over 5000, including early fan magazines as well as scholarly journals.

Postcards: over 4000 images of stars, studios, cinema buildings and more.

Photographs: over 4000 stills, pictures of stars, etc.

Sheet Music: nearly 3000 items taken predominantly from films of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.

Programmes: 2500 covering film festivals, specific cinemas and even particular films (e.g. film premieres).

Cigarette cards: 2200, mostly of stars and shots from films.

Records: 500 recordings of songs and music related to the films of the 20th Century.

Campaign Material: 1400 items, including press packs, star biographies, handbills, etc.

Stereocards, stereotransparencies and stereo viewers: over 1400 items relating to this form of 3D-imaging.

Toys, Jigsaws and Games: 900 objects ranging from card games to Charlie Chaplin Dolls and jigsaws of stars and film posters.

Handbills: 900 leaflets for films and advertising connected to films or cinemas.

Posters: over 700 posters advertising films, cinemas and theatres from the late 19th Century onwards.

Magic Lantern Slides: over 500, dating from the early 19th Century to the mid-20th, and including various different formats.

Greetings cards and letters: more than 200 items, including numerous autographed letters and cards from important people in the world of cinema.

Optical instruments: approximately 30 magic lanterns, zoetropes and praxinoscopes.

The remainder of the collection includes stamps, crockery, clothing, press cuttings, censor's certificates, shadow puppets, tickets, optical accessories and more.

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