Royal Asiatic Society Collections Catalogues and Handlists

In caring for the collections and making them accessible to researchers various lists and catalogues have been collated throughout the Society's history. Some of these have been published but many are unpublished or in draft form prior to publication. These have been kept as important sources of both information about the nature of the collections and also how the Society has historically organised them. Please note, however, that not all the items in the catalogues and lists are still within the Society's collections.

The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was founded by the eminent Sanskrit scholar Sir Henry Thomas Colebrooke on the 15th March 1823. It received its Royal Charter from King George IV on the 11th August 1824 'for the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia'. It continues as a forum for those who are interested in the languages, cultures and history of Asia to meet and exchange ideas. The Library Committee was briefly formed in 1937 to oversee the production of a Catalogue. It was re-instituted in 1966 and serves to oversee strategy and management concerning the Society's Collections.

The catalogues and handlists were subdivided according to the types of material they describe. Thus:
* RAS COLL6/1 - General Catalogues and Handlists
* RAS COLL6/2 - Printed material
* RAS COLL6/3 - Manuscripts
* RAS COLL6/4 - Archives
* RAS COLL6/5 - Artworks
* RAS COLL6/6 - Photographs
* RAS COLL6/7 - Maps
* RAS COLL6/8 - Objects

Open. Some material is held electronically. This can be accessed in the Reading Room. Please contact the archivist using the email address given here. The archive is open on Tuesdays and Fridays 10-5, and Thursdays 2-5. Access is to any researcher without appointment but it will help if an appointment is made via phone or email. Please bring photo ID.

These are part of the institutional records of the Royal Asiatic Society which have been accumulated throughout its history.

The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was founded by the eminent Sanskrit scholar Sir Henry Thomas Colebrooke on the 15th March 1823. It received its Royal Charter from King George IV on the 11th August 1824 'for the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia'. It continues as a forum for those who are interested in the languages, cultures and history of Asia to meet and exchange ideas. The Library Committee was briefly formed in 1937 to oversee the production of a Catalogue. It was re-instituted in 1966 and serves to oversee strategy and management concerning the Society's Collections.

This material was catalogued by Nancy Charley, RAS Archivist, in 2024.

Digital photography (without flash) for research purposes may be permitted for open records upon completion of a copyright declaration form, and with respect to current UK copyright law. Copies of digital material may also be made available.

These records are part of the Royal Asiatic Society's Institutional Records and therefore part of the historical records of the Society.

Some catalogues of the collections have been published. Details of these can be found on our Library catalogue: https://ras.koha-ptfs.co.uk/. Copies of the published catalogues can be accessed in our Reading Room.

Published