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Category: Rare Books and Special Collections

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The Nekcsei-Lipócz Bible, a 14th-Century Illuminated Manuscript from Hungary

Posted by: Anchi Hoh

(The following is a post by Kenneth Nyirady, Reference Specialist for Hungary, in the Library’s European Division.) The Library of Congress possesses more than 1,500 editions of the Bible in over 150 languages. The most famous item in this collection is the 15th-century Gutenberg Bible, on permanent display in the Library’s Great Hall. Also on …

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Cervantes’ “Don Quixote”: A Celebration of the Spanish Language

Posted by: Anchi Hoh

(The following is a post by Juan Manuel Pérez, Reference Specialist, Hispanic Division.) This year Spain and the world are celebrating the 400th anniversary of the death of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616), author of “Don Quixote,” the first novel written in the modern world, published in 1605. Written as a criticism of the chivalric …

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Happy Birthday, Hans Christian Andersen!

Posted by: Anchi Hoh

(The following is a post by Taru Spiegel, Reference Specialist, European Division.) April is the birthday month of the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-75), known worldwide for his stories, especially The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, and The Princess and the Pea. Expressions such as “an ugly duckling” and “the emperor’s new clothes” are, in fact, …