The original collection comprised about 8,200 volumes (7,200 titles), almost entirely in Portuguese. Subsequently, a number of duplicates were discarded and the present collection contains about 870 volumes in the Rare Books Collection and about 6,000 volumes in the general collection.

The main strengths of the collection are:

• literature
• history
• religion.

There are also works on:

• politics
• topography
• archaeology
• art
• Portuguese exploration
• Portuguese colonies
• heraldry
• genealogy
• language
• bibliography.

Literary works total about 2,000, of which about half consist of plays, mostly published in the 18th and 19th centuries. Among the notable Portuguese writers represented in the collection are:

• José Valentim Fiahlo de Almeida
• Joao Almeida Garrett
• Alberto Braga
• Teofilo Braga
• D Joao da Camara
• Camilo Castello Branco
• Raul Brandäo
• Luis de Camoes
• Ferreira de Castro
• Luis Chaves
• Sousa Costa
• Julio Dantas
• Antero de Figueiredo
• Joao Grave
• Alexandre Herculano
• Marcellino Mesquita
• José Carlos dos Santos
• Alberto de Sousa Costa.

Some of the more substantial works in the collection include:

• José Agostino, Historia da literature portuguesa (1927)
• Diogo Barboso Machado, Bibliotheca luzitana escolhida (1786)
• D Raphael Bluteau, Vocabulario portuguez e latino (10 vols, 1712–1721)
• Antonio Carvalho da Costa, Corografia portugueza, e description topografica reyno de Portugal (3 vols, 1706–1712)
• Corpus juris civilis (2 vols, 1759)
• Manuel de Figueiredo, Theatro (15 vols, 1804–1810)
• José Maria Latino Coelho, Historia politica e military de Portugal, desde os fins do XVIII seculo ate 1814 (3 vols, 1874–1891)
• Elza Paxero Machado and José Pedros Machado (editors), Cancioneiro da biblioteca nacional, antigo Colocci–Broncuti (8 vols, 1949–1964)
• Agostinho Rebello da Costa, Descripcao topografica, e historica da cidade do Porto (1789).

The Valente Collection contains 40 manuscripts and typescripts, including:

• plays
• poetry
• music
• historical works
• religious works.

They mostly date from the 19th century.

The only modern work is a 3-volume typescript history of Coimbra University in the period 1834–1885, written in 1960.

Visit Literary works 1790–1960 (collected by Amador Valente)

There are a large number of periodicals in the collection. Some of the longer runs are:

• Almanach de Lisboa (1786–1823)
• Almanach dos palcos e salas (1905–1917)
• Annuario da Camera dos senhores Deputados (1883–1907)
• Annuario do Gremio Artistico (1890–1898)
• Arqueologia e historia (1922–1932)
• Boletim dos Museus Nacionais de Arte Antiga (1939–1943)
• Investigador portuguez em Inglaterra (1812–1817)
• O Espectro (1846–1847)
• O Recreio (1885–1899)
• Terra portuguesa (1916–1927).

The Valente Collection was purchased by the Library in 1970 from Livraria Histórica e Ultramarino of Lisbon.

A stocktake was carried out by the Library in 1974 – request to view the Record of stocktake.

The periodicals in the Valente Collection have been integrated in the general collection, while the books have been kept together as a formed collection. About 590 titles (870 volumes), consisting of pre-1801 imprints and modern works of considerable aesthetic value, are held in the Rare Books Collection. The remainder of the books are in the general collection. The call numbers have the prefix RB VAL and VAL.

The manuscripts are held in the Manuscripts Collection. They have been catalogued at the collection level, but there is no listing. Refer to Literary works 1790–1960 (manuscripts).