The Near East Collection at Yale University Library is one of the oldest collections in North America. It started with the appointment of Professor Edward Elbridge Salisbury (1814-1901) to teach Arabic and Islamic Studies at Yale University in 1841. To serve the teaching needs Professor Salisbury started collecting what ever available printed and manuscript materials he could find. There weren't many printed books in Arabic at the middle of the 19th century because Arabic and Islamic Studies were in their infancy at the European Universities.