The Union First Line Index enables researchers to locate manuscript poems held in seven prestigious collections in the US and UK, including the Folger Shakespeare Library. The Index provides a database of over 98,000 first lines of manuscript verse. While the materials date predominantly from the 16th and 17th centuries, the database includes verse from the 13th through 19th century.
Union First Line Index lists poems held in the Bodleian Library, Beinecke Library, British Library, Folger Shakespeare Library, Harvard University, Huntington Library, and the University of Leeds, as well as other institutions.
The database is searchable by numerous fields, including keyword, first line, last line, author, title, repository and item shelfmark.
Questions or comments? Email us at firstlines@folger.edu.
