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.
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!
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.
As we prepare to celebrate the United States' 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, the Rare Book and Special Collections Division is producing a series of short films that highlight items related to American history and culture with particular focus on the Founding era.
Musician and children’s book author Gertrude Ina Robinson (b. 1868) created cloth figurines that match the characters in her children's book series, the Floral Fairies, 13 of which can now be found in the Archive for Floral Fairies and Rainbow Fairies in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division at the Library of Congress.