Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
21 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
22 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
25 days ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
25 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Canada Ontario Toronto Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy

Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy

A unique collection of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and everything in-between.

Toronto, Ontario

Added By
Mark Shainblum
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Exterior banner on Lillian H. Smith library branch   :Sandra Jepsen, https//en3950scifi.wordpress.com/
Exterior banner on Lillian H. Smith library branch   :Sandra Jepsen, https//en3950scifi.wordpress.com/
Main entrance to the collection   Dark Matter fanzine
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy, located on the third floor of the Lillian H. Smith branch of the Toronto Public Library, is a unique non-circulating research collection of over 72,000 items of science fiction, fantasy and speculative fiction, as well as magic realism, experimental writing and some materials in 'fringe' areas such as parapsychology, UFOs, Atlantean legends etc.

The Collection hosts some of the world's largest collections of science fiction and fantasy art, pulp magazines, graphic novels and fanzines. For the more academically inclined, the Collection holds vast numbers of non-fiction critical works relating to science fiction and fantasy, science fiction and fantasy art books, subject reference tools, limited editions, out-of-print materials, original manuscripts, correspondence, critical, biographical and bibliographical materials and audiovisual and multimedia materials. Reading materials are available to the public on a limited basis, but only in the Collection's public reading rooms. Artwork is often displayed during frequent public events, exhibits and book launches.

The history of the Merril Collection dates back to August 10, 1970, when an agreement was signed between legendary Canadian science fiction author and editor Judith Merril and the Board of the Toronto Public Library. In this agreement Judith Merril donated to the Toronto Public Library her collection of science fiction, fantasy, and associated non-fiction which contained around 5,000 items. This collection was named The Spaced Out Library.The Spaced Out Library was established as a reference collection of "contemporary speculative literature, including science fiction, certain aspects of fantasy fiction, satire, surrealist, and other speculative, future oriented, and conceptually experimental work, whether in fiction, poetry, drama, essay, or other forms as well as critical and bibliographic materials relating to science fiction and the associated areas of contemporary speculative writing" serving both scholars and the general public.

In 1990 the collection was officially renamed The Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy. Merril herself passed away in 1997.

Related Tags

Collections Libraries

Know Before You Go

All items in the Merill Collection are held in a section that only staff can access. Visitors must provide their valid photo ID and register with the staff in order to view, handle, or read any material. Visitors must inform the librarians of the items they wish to be brought into the reading room. Items from the collection cannot be taken out of the reading room. The Collection often has small, themed displays that rotate a couple of times a year, with the exception of a few weeks to allow for a new exhibit to be installed. The Collection is available to the public for free.

Closest major intersection: College Street and Spadina Ave. Public Transit TTC College streetcar from College subway station west to Spadina. TTC College streetcar from Queen's Park subway station west to Spadina. TTC Spadina streetcar from Union subway station north to College. TTC Spadina streetcar south from Spadina subway station to College. Parking Paid - Meter parking along Huron Street, more parking at Clarke Institute of Psychiatry on north side of College - entrance on Spadina.

Community Contributors

Added By

MarkShainblum

Edited By

Rachel, inspector pinto, Taxine

  • Rachel
  • inspector pinto
  • Taxine

Published

January 1, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.darkmatterfanzine.com/dmf/a-world-of-science-fiction-speculation-and-fantasy/
  • http://en3950scifi.wordpress.com
Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy
239 College Street
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
43.658239, -79.398208
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Lillian H. Smith Toronto Public Library

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Rosalie Sharp Centre for Design

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Toronto

Toronto

Ontario

Places 55
Stories 8

Nearby Places

Lillian H. Smith Toronto Public Library

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Rosalie Sharp Centre for Design

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Toronto

Toronto

Ontario

Places 55
Stories 8

Related Stories and Lists

13 Wonderfully Specific Libraries Reveal Their Oldest Treasures

libraries

By Sarah Laskow

Related Places

  • Marietta, Georgia

    The Georgia Room at Switzer Library

    Strange memorabilia held inside an unassuming library.

  • Interior.

    Rimini, Italy

    Biblioteca Civica Gambalunga

    The oldest civic library in Italy can trace its foundation back to 1619.

  • Ryerss Museum and Library

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Ryerss Museum and Library

    The Ryerss mansion in Burholme Park now houses a community library and a museum filled with a trove of oddities from around the world.

  • Lewis Ansbacher Map Collection

    Jacksonville, Florida

    Lewis Ansbacher Map Collection

    This collection features more than 240 antiquarian maps from around the world, in addition to historical views and plates focusing on North Florida.

  • A 1967 Orlando Sentinel

    Orlando, Florida

    The Disney Collection

    An unassuming corner inside downtown Orlando's library offers a whole new world of the park and its history.

  • Kenneth Dike Library

    Ibadan, Nigeria

    Kenneth Dike Library

    Not only does this library house unique Arabic manuscripts, but it was also designed to keep the building cool during warm days.

  • Some of the buildings which form the Palace Green Library

    Durham, England

    Palace Green Library

    This library dates back to the late 17th century and was one of the first public lending libraries in England.

  • São Miguel, Portugal

    Solar Branco Gin Library

    A 19th-century mansion houses the largest collection of gin in the European Union.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.