(The following is a post by Ann Brener, Hebraic Specialist in the African and Middle Eastern Division.) In the world of rare books, unicorns are frequently sighted on the pages of older works printed in the European countries, in languages such as Latin or French or English. There, in the guise of what is known […]
(The following is a post by Marcos Castillo, Junior Fellow, Hispanic Division, Summer 2018.) The opening of the new “Baseball Americana” exhibit here at the Library of Congress, prompted me to think about the origins of our national pastime. The exhibit highlights the history of baseball in the Library’s collections. Baseball is not only a national […]
(The following is a post by Levon Avdoyan, Area Specialist for Armenia and Georgia, Near East Section, African and Middle Eastern Division.) I first heard the rumblings early in 2017: “The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is going to have Armenia as one of its featured countries in 2018!” In Washington, DC rumors are rampant, but this one was […]
(The following is a post by Erika Spencer, reference specialist, European Division.) Today France celebrates its Independence Day, known as “Le Quatorze Juillet” or “La Fête nationale.” What better time to delve into some of the Library’s French collections! The Library of Congress possesses over one million French items, including rare books, photographs, manuscripts, maps, […]
(The following is a post by Hong Ta-Moore, Southeast Asia reference librarian, Asian Division.) Southeast Asia is home to eleven countries, nearly 700 million people, and a rich variety of religious traditions. The Philippines, for example, is one of two Southeast Asian countries with a majority Christian population (the other being East Timor). According to […]
Following are the online recordings (webcasts) of recent public programs pertaining to the Library’s international collections. To discover more videos, visit the four area studies divisions here: African and Middle Eastern, Asian, European, and Hispanic. African and Middle Eastern Division TITLE: Sudanese Writer & Poet Bushra al-Fadil (view on YouTube) SPEAKER: Bushra al-Fadil EVENT DATE: […]
(The following is a post by Taru Spiegel, reference specialist, European Division.) Printing with movable metal type was first introduced to Europe in the mid-15th-century Germany by a visionary goldsmith and businessman, Johann Gutenberg (d. 1468). Prior to that time, books were written and copied manually, a labor which took many months. Gutenberg anticipated sound […]
(The following is a repost by Zoran Sinobad, reference librarian in the Moving Image Research Center. The post originally appeared on the Now See Hear! Blog.) Shortly after 7 a.m. on November 6, 1928, two mounted policemen in green breeches and black tunics appeared on the stone bridge at the main entrance to the Imperial Palace […]
(The following is a post by Eve M. Ferguson, reference librarian in the African Section of the African and Middle Eastern Division.) Black Panther is the first superhero of African descent in mainstream American comics. The Library of Congress holds the Marvel Comics series, including “Black Panther,” dating back to his debut appearance in “Fantastic […]
(The following is a post by Kaydee McCann, Humanities Editor of HLAS and reference librarian in the Hispanic Division.) The Library of Congress tends to inspire devotion and loyalty among its employees, many of whom spend decades classifying, describing, and revealing its vast and growing collections to ensure that as many researchers, scholars, and students […]