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Posted by: Amanda Zimmerman
Written by American aviator Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) but compiled and arranged by her husband after her fatal flight, the copy of "Last Flight" in the National Woman's Party Library in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division has a special provenance linking Earhart to the women's suffrage movement.
Posted in: 20th Century, American History, Seasonal, Women in Book History
Posted by: Marianna Stell
In 1866, the Smithsonian physically transferred its library of over 40,000 works to the Library of Congress. A notable event in the history of both information institutions, the Smithsonian Deposit included a range of materials which today are dispersed throughout the Library’s divisions. Among them are some unexpected and intriguing materials in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division.
Posted in: 19th Century, 20th Century, American History, Library History, Provenance
Posted by: Mark Manivong
This post explores the life and work of poet, teacher, and publisher Naomi Cornelia Long Madgett (1923-2020), particularly her creative output and influence on publishing African American poetry.
Posted in: 20th Century, African American Poetry, Poetry, Publishing
Posted by: Amanda Zimmerman
This post explores the life and work of Chester Himes (1909-1984) and his friendship with fellow African American author Ralph Ellison (1914-1994), as evidenced by Himes' books in Ralph Ellison's personal library.
Posted in: 20th Century, American History, Provenance, Seasonal
Posted by: Michael North
The Library's rare book collections have become more accessible thanks to a project to enter information long hidden in card files and databases into the online catalog.
Posted in: 19th Century, 20th Century, Library History, News and Events
Posted by: Mark Manivong
George Schneeman was a poet and artist who collaborated with the Poetry Project at St. Mark's in New York City. This blog post provides a short biography and some examples of his work found in his archive.
Posted in: 20th Century, Poetry
Posted by: Amanda Zimmerman
No vegetable splits opinion quite like the Brussels sprout, which caused a disagreement between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lady Clementine Churchill in the summer of 1944.
Posted in: 20th Century, American History, Botanicals, Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, History of Science