http://illinoisharvest.grainger.uiuc.edu/fulldisplay.asp?cid=2797
The University of Illinois is only an hour away, and within the hierarchy of the University Library is the Rare Book and Manuscript Library. It's a place I want to visit, if only to hold a piece of history in my hands. The Rare Book and Manuscript Library has books and manuscripts from hundreds of years ago, and if you fill out the proper paperwork, you can even handle these rare objects in their reading room.
For those of us who don't have a day to make a trip down to Champaign and look at these manuscripts, the University Library has created a digitization project called "Project Unica." A "unicum" is a sole surviving book, and the Rare Book and Manuscript Library has many unica in its collection. As of this writing, 204 of these rare books have been digitized. The contents can be downloaded as low-res PDFs, high-quality PDFs, or viewed directly within your browser using the "Page by Page Navigator." This last works very well for casual browsing.
While many of the titles are in other languages, all are intriguing. It might just be better than holding the real deal in your hands -- at least you don't have to worry about damaging it!