J. C. T. Oates was being disingenuous when he said of his collection of Sterneana, now held in the University Library, that ‘I confront the visitor not with the important books which he wishes to see but with the trivial books of which he has never heard’. The significant and the ‘trivial’ alike, what Oates calls ‘the rubbish of literature’, create a more complete picture of Sterne’s reception than might otherwise be available. For all the disparities in quality evident in different items of Sterneana it collectively shows how, where, and when Sterne and his writings have been variously received and reinterpreted over the past 250 years, across periods and geographical locations. Both Tristram Shandy and A sentimental journey, and Sterne himself, continue to engage and to inspire.