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Posted by: Michael North
The Library owns many groundbreaking books from medicine’s past, some of them illustrated with images that make us glad we live in the 21st century. Topics range from anatomy and herbals to childbirth and Native American medical knowledge.
Posted in: 15th Century, 16th Century, 17th Century, 19th Century, Botanicals, History of Science, History of the Book, Illustrated Book, Medicine, Uncategorized
Posted by: Ashley Rose Young
Step back onto the trail with the Library of Congress’s latest From the Vaults videos, where rare books, maps, photographs, and illustrations open new paths into the nation’s history through the lens of nature. From Yellowstone and bald eagles to botanical art, space exploration, and the Donner Party, these visually rich stories reveal how generations of Americans have imagined, documented, and encountered the natural world.
Posted in: 18th Century, 19th Century, 20th Century, America 250, American History, Book Anatomy, Contemporary Book Arts, History of the Book, Illustrated Book, Manuscript and Letterpress (Hand Press), Our Common Ground: 250 Years of Americans Engaging with Nature
![[Marianne Moore, half-length portrait, facing left] / George Platt Lynes, photographer. c1935 Feb. 1.](https://blogs.loc.gov/bibliomania/files/2026/05/mm-mm.jpg)
Posted by: Mark Manivong
In 1955 the Ford Motor Company solicited American poet Marianne Moore to devise a name for a new line of cars in development. The exchange of letters between Ms. Moore and the executives first came to light in an April 13, 1957, issue of The New Yorker. The Pierpont Morgan Library printed reproductions of the letters in a monograph in 1958.
Posted in: 20th Century, American History, Poetry
Posted by: Callie Beattie
The Rare Book and Special Collections Division is preparing for our next public symposium, Our Common Ground: 250 Years of Americans Engaging with Nature on Thursday, May 14, 2026. As we look forward to welcoming you all to the Library once again, we are reminded of the excitement and outpouring of support for our last public symposium, Book Artist in the Studio, held in August 2025. This blog post offers a recap of the complete Book Artist in the Studio programming including highlights from our speakers, photos of the curated displays, and the complete symposium webcast.
Posted in: Contemporary Book Arts, Education Outreach, History of the Book, Illustrated Book, News and Events, Publishing
Posted by: Patrick Hastings
Thomas Jefferson was one of many of his contemporaries who drafted documents that declared, proclaimed, or otherwise argued for American political rights. The Declaration of Independence was like other texts published during the Revolutionary Era in expressing commonly held principles in sometimes strikingly similar language. The Library of Congress holds many of these documents within its collections.
Posted in: 18th Century, America 250, American History, Thomas Jefferson
Posted by: Marianna Stell
A medieval breviary in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division has a connection to the family of King Louis IX of France (r. 1226 to 1270). The manuscript's calendar is incomplete, but the surviving months—January through April—provide some of the most compelling evidence of royal use.
Posted in: 13th Century, France, Illuminated Manuscript, Provenance
Posted by: Mark Manivong
Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was an American Trappist monk, poet, writer, theologian, mystic, social activist, scholar of comparative religion, and pioneer of interfaith dialogue who wrote more than 50 books throughout his 27-year writing career. He is arguably one of the most influential and widely read Catholic authors of the 20th century. In 2025, the Rare Book and Special Collections Division acquired a Thomas Merton Collection comprising 143 items and containing first editions, uncorrected proofs, artwork, manuscripts, recordings, and portraits of this fascinating figure. This blog post includes a short biography of Merton and showcases some of the materials in this new collection.
Posted in: 20th Century, Literature, Poetry, Religion, Uncategorized
Posted by: Amanda Zimmerman
Ever wonder about the kinds of questions reference librarians answer at the Library of Congress? In the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, reference questions come in all shapes, sizes, and complexities. Follow along as Reference Librarian Amanda Zimmerman helps a patron unpack a particularly complex bibliographical conundrum from the Thomas Jefferson Library.
Posted in: American History, History of the Book, Library History
Posted by: Ashley Rose Young
Journey through 250 years of American creativity, curiosity, and connection to the natural world in this exciting preview of the Rare Book and Special Collections Division’s public symposium, Our Common Ground: 250 Years of Americans Engaging with Nature. Featuring contemporary artists, rare books, crankie performances, board games, historic foodways, and breathtaking collection displays, the event reveals how landscapes, wildlife, and adventure have inspired Americans to create, explore, and play across generations.
Posted in: 19th Century, 20th Century, America 250, American History, Appalachia, Botanicals, Contemporary Book Arts, Fine Press, gastronomy, Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, History of Science, Illustrated Book, News and Events, Our Common Ground: 250 Years of Americans Engaging with Nature, Sports and Games, Zoology