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Posted by: Neely Tucker
The Library has a delightfully curated selection of 19th- and early 20th-century bartender manuals, "American Mixology: Recipe Books from the Pre-Prohibition Era," composed of 10 cocktail recipe books, from 1869 to 1911, They form a "cross-section of pre-Prohibition cocktail culture in America," our specialist writes.
Posted in: Technology & Business Division
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Native American historical influences on the United States, in everything from state names to influences for the U.S. Constitution, are apparent everywhere you look.
Posted in: Geography and Maps Division, Native Americans
Posted by: Neely Tucker
In World War II, the U.S. government enlisted American citizens to report what their neighbors, coworkers and classmates were saying about the war in a controversial "rumor control" project.
Posted in: American Folklife Center, World War II
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Jerry Pinkney, a renowned book illustrator and a longtime supporter of the National Book Festival, died last week. He was 81. He is fondly remembered in this short essay.
Posted in: National Book Festival, News
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Billy Strayhorn was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and lyricist, most often working for the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He wrote "Take the 'A' Train," "Lush Life," "Chelsea Bridge," "Day Dream" and dozens of other standards. His papers are collected at the Library of Congress.
Posted in: African American History, Music, Performing Arts
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Hazel Scott was the gorgeous face of jazz at the mid-century; the most glamorous, well-known Black woman in America, making more than $100,000 per year, draped in custom-designed jewelry and furs. Her remarkable career is preserved in the Library's Music Division.
Posted in: African American History, Music, Performing Arts
Posted by: Neely Tucker
The Library’s newest crowdsourcing campaign, American Creativity: Early Copyright Title Pages, is now online and ready for your amusement, education and transcription. It features the great (and not so great) ideas of yesteryear in copyright applications from 1790 to 1870, which recorded the young nation’s attempts to capitalize on the present and transform the future.
Posted in: By the People, Copyright, Rare Book and Special Collections
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the Quran, one of the treasures of the Library, is making its first-ever appearance in the Middle East this month, debuting at the glittering World Expo in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. It will be featured in the U.S. Pavilion until the end of 2021.
Posted in: Arab/Arab American, Library Work and Employees, Thomas Jefferson, U.S. Presidents
Posted by: Neely Tucker
The Library's first live event since the COVID-19 restrictions of 2020 took place on Sept. 21, 2021 during the National Book Festival, with a conversation between crossword puzzle gurus Will Shortz and Adrienne Raphel.
Posted in: Events, National Book Festival, Writers