The absorption spectrum of jet-cooled CS2 was photographed between 70 500 and 81 550 cm−1 at a resolution limit of 0.0008 nm, i.e., 0.4 to 0.5 cm−1. Wave numbers of over 200 features are reported and assigned in terms of ⋯2πg3np (n=5–25) and nf (n=4–17) allowed transitions—electronic origin bands and vibronic 101 bands corresponding to excitation of the totally symmetric stretching vibrational mode in the excited electronic states—as well as forbidden ⋯2πg3nsσ (n=5–7), ndσ (n=4 and 5), and ndδ (n=3–5) g−g transitions—201 and 212 bands involving excitation of the bending vibrational mode in the corresponding excited 1,3Πg states—, and the (⋯2πu3Ã2Πu)4sσg 1Πu allowed transition, first term of a series converging to the second ionization limit. Ab initio calculations of the electronic energies and transition moments for effective principal quantum numbers about 4 and 5 are carried out for all the observed series. Rotational band contours are calculated using Hund’s case (e) representation for one- and three-photon excitation of the ⋯2πg3np and nf Rydberg complexes for every observed n value. An approximate Rydberg formula is obtained which allows the calculation of the principal peak wave numbers for n>12 to within 1 cm−1. This work completes the study of CS2 Rydberg series converging to the first ionization limit initiated previously with the ⋯2πg34s and 4p complexes [C. Cossart-Magos et al., J. Chem. Phys. 104, 7412 (1996)] and the ⋯2πg33d, 5s supercomplex [C. Cossart-Magos et al., J. Chem. Phys. 107, 1308 (1997)]. Systematic comparison with the (3+1) resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) spectra recorded by Morgan et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 104, 6117 (1996)] and by Berger et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 107, 8866 (1997)] reveals that only exceptionally the same transition is observed both in the absorption and the REMPI experiments: the two techniques give complementary information, with the absorption providing a much greater volume of data. Previous tentative assignments of the REMPI spectra by Morgan et al. and by Berger et al. are completed, with a few reassignments being necessary. Detailed comparison of the present absorption spectrum with the vacuum-ultraviolet laser and synchrotron radiation photoionization recorded by Huang et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 106, 864 (1996)], shows that, in the common part (n=14–25), the same transitions are observed, and that, for the electric field intensities used (up to 1070 V/cm), the Stark shifts are less than 1 cm−1.