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Archive: 2022 (103 Posts)

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

New from Library’s Crime Classics: “The Conjure-Man Dies”

Posted by: Neely Tucker

The Library’s acclaimed Crime Classic series is launching a new edition of “The Conjure-Man Dies” this month, a staple of the Harlem Renaissance and the most important work of long-overlooked novelist Rudolph Fisher. First published in 1932, the book was the first full-length mystery novel to feature an all-Black cast of characters, including detectives, suspects and victims.

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Shackleton’s Antarctic “Turtle Soup” Book

Posted by: Neely Tucker

Ernest Shackleton, the famed polar explorer, was the first to print a book on the Antarctic continent. His "Aurora Australis," an anthology of writings by the crew and scientists during a 1907-1909 expedition, was printed in such dire conditions that the book covers were made from packing crates from the ship's pantry. Only 25 or so were made. The Library's copy has covers marked for "turtle soup" and "honey."

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

“Not an Ostrich” Exhibit Now at the Library

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

"Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America's Library," an exhibit featuring more than 400 photographs from the Library's collections, is now open in the Jefferson Building and can be viewed online. It debuted in 2018 at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles. The show is a visual journey through American culture and history.

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

The (Very Polite) Letters Behind “Double Indemnity”

Posted by: Neely Tucker

“Double Indemnity” is one of Hollywood’s classic films, the standard-bearer for noir cinema and a career highlight for stars Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray. The Library has a fascinating exchange of letters between the “Double” stars and novelist James M. Cain, whose book was the basis for the film. The letters give us a glimpse into Hollywood history, how scandalous the movie was at the time and at the manners of a bygone era. It’s almost impossible to imagine this exchange taking place today.

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Madeleine Albright: A Life of Courage and Commitment

Posted by: Neely Tucker

Madeleine Albright, the first female U.S. Secretary of State, died today in Washington at the age of 84. The cause was cancer, her family said.. Albright, who donated her papers to the Library in 2014, was a key figure in the administration of Bill Clinton, serving both as ambassador to the United Nations and then as Secretary of State during his second term. Outspoken to the end, she wrote an essay for the New York Times in late February warning about the effects of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. She included her notes from her first meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, more than two decades ago: "Putin is small and pale...so cold as to be almost reptilian."