For the cover of the 1922 first edition of Ulysses, James Joyce desired a particular shade of "Greek blue" to evoke the novel's correspondences to Homer and The Odyssey. Thanks to the scientists at the Library of Congress, we now know the exact mixture of pigments used for that iconic cover.
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.
Among the Library's many treasured books is a history of the Romans previously owned by President James Monroe. Pinned into the flyleaf are Monroe's handwritten notes about the reign and reforms of King Servius Tullius.
Mary Renault (pseudonym of Eileen Mary Challans) was a British lesbian writer best known for her widely read historical-fiction novels set in ancient Greece.
In Anglophone communities during the 16th - 18th centuries, a common custom was for book owners to add in their book a note of ownership in either English or in Latin. The Rare Book and Special Collections Division holds a number of examples of these notes that offer a curious study for those interested in historical linguistics.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, classical languages were an important component of education in the North American colonies. Viewed through the lens of material and printing history, the books highlighted in this blog post provide a very human picture of classical studies in early America.
