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Posted by: Patrick Hastings
Many of the images and traditions currently associated with Santa Claus can be traced back to books, broadsides, and cards printed in the early 1800s.
Posted in: 19th Century, American History, Children's Literature, Dutch History, Education, Illustrated Book, Literature, Poetry, Seasonal
Posted by: Ashley Rose Young
Step inside one of the most spectacular books in the Library of Congress collections as this post explores John James Audubon’s monumental Birds of America in its breathtaking double-elephant folio format. From dramatic bird portraits to the astonishing scale and craftsmanship of the volume itself, discover how art, printing, and natural history combined to create an American masterpiece.
Posted in: 19th Century, America 250, American History, History of Science, Seasonal, Zoology
Posted by: Patrick Hastings
Thomas Jefferson used Euclidean Geometry and Newtonian Calculus to design a plow for maximum efficiency. Rather than seeking a patent, he published his innovative “mouldboard of least resistance” for all farmers to use freely.
Posted in: 18th Century, America 250, American History, Thomas Jefferson
Posted by: Patrick Hastings
On Thanksgiving Day in 1876, Princeton met Yale in Hoboken, NJ for the first football game played under the new rules agreed by the Intercollegiate Football Association. As innovations in the rules gradually shaped a distinctly American game, the tradition of playing and watching football on Thanksgiving spread across the United States.
Posted in: 19th Century, American History, Seasonal, Sports and Games
Posted by: Patrick Hastings
As a young man, Isaiah Thomas printed and published a Boston newspaper that stoked the fires of Revolution. After the war, Thomas enjoyed a consequential career in printing, illustrating, publishing, papermaking, bookselling, collecting, and historical writing.
Posted in: 18th Century, 19th Century, America 250, American History, Children's Literature, Education History, Famous Printers, Illustrated Book, Publishing, Uncategorized
Posted by: Patrick Hastings
As our nation prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the Library of Congress is producing a series of short films that present items from our collections related to American history and culture. Check out the latest films in the series!
Posted in: 18th Century, 19th Century, 20th Century, America 250, American History, Children's Literature, Education Outreach, History of the Book, Literature, Sports and Games, Thomas Jefferson, Women in Book History, Women's Stories
Posted by: Patrick Hastings
In his early 20s, George Washington played a central role in the opening acts of the French and Indian War. The fastidious young man kept careful journals for both of his expeditions across the Alleghanies; when these records were printed and published in 1754 and 1756, George Washington became (in)famous across the British and French Empires.
Posted in: 18th Century, America 250, American History
Posted by: Patrick Hastings
As students and teachers across the country begin a new school year, the Rare Book Classroom invites K-12 and university-level classes to explore the Library of Congress’s materials both on-site and remotely.
Posted in: Education Outreach, History of the Book
Posted by: Mark Manivong
From 1944 to 1972, American author Esther Averill wrote and illustrated a series of 13 children’s books featuring a small and shy cat named Jenny Linsky who lives in New York City with her sea-captain companion. The series was loved by millions of American children and became Averill’s most popular children’s books.
Posted in: 20th Century, Cats, Children's Literature