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Posted by: Neely Tucker
Library conservators have been carefully cleaning and restoring a small trove of papyrus writings from ancient Egypt. The writings are mostly decrees, contracts and other pragmatic records, but still offer a window into a world long gone by.
Posted in: African and Middle Eastern Division, LCM, Library Work and Employees, Manuscripts, Preservation and Conservation, Rare Book and Special Collections, Science
Posted by: Neely Tucker
The Library's Crime Classic series now has more than 20 titles to choose from, including “The Cannibal Who Overate,” which came out earlier this month. There's something for every mystery lover in the series, with classic stories that span more than 100 years of American literary history. You can get them from the Library's shop or from any major bookseller.
Posted in: African American History, African and Middle Eastern Division, Crime Classics Series, LCM, Library of Congress Crime Classics, Library Work and Employees, Publishing Office, Writers
Posted by: Mark Hartsell
Few things say "Christmas" quite like George Frideric Handel’s 18th-century oratorio “Messiah” — the thrilling power of its “Hallelujah” chorus has given audiences goosebumps for 283 years and counting. The Library holds some dazzling early printings, including a complete orchestral score bound in sumptuous red leather, brilliantly gilded.
Posted in: Christmas, LCM, Music, Performing Arts
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Johnathan Larson and Leonard Bernstein had huge successes on Broadway, from "West Side Story" to "Rent." Their vibrant careers are preserved in the Library's Music Division, showcasing their generational talents.
Posted in: Film, LCM, Music, Performing Arts
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Since 1897 the Library's Main Reading Room has been the dazzling center of the Library's collections. Its circular design was inpsired by the British Museum Library, its art based on the classics of Western civiilization and its mission settled on fulfilling the American ideal of knowledge and education. Today, although much of the Library's collections have spread to other reading rooms and are available online, it is still a vibrant research center and the go-to tourist attraction for visitors.
Posted in: Architecture, Congressional Research Service, LCM, Library Work and Employees, Thomas Jefferson Building
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Novelists and storytellers have for centuries sketched maps of their fictional worlds -- or the real world where their fictional characters resided -- as a means of expanding their creations and deepening the sense of a new world for readers. The Library preserves dozens of famous examples, from first editions of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" to William Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County.
Posted in: Geography and Map Division, Illustrated Books, LCM, Manuscripts, Maps, Writers
Posted by: Neely Tucker
On the fourth anniversary of Stephen Sondheim's death, his friend and colleague Adam Guettel -- the Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of “The Light in the Piazza,” “Floyd Collins” and “Days of Wine and Roses" -- writes a short piece about their friendship.
Posted in: LCM, Music, Performing Arts, Songwriters, Theater
Posted by: Mark Hartsell
Stephen Sondheim put together "Send in the Clowns," his most famous song, in about 24 hours during rehearsals of "A Little Night Music." His lyric and music sheets chart the song's quick progression.
Posted in: LCM, Manuscripts, Music, Performing Arts, Songwriters, Theater
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Maria Sibylla Merian, a 17th-century natural scientist, artist and engraver, gained lasting fame for her pioneering scientific illustration techniques, enabling her to bring a soft, delicate touch to her brilliantly shaded work.
Posted in: LCM, Library Work and Employees, Preservation, Preservation and Conservation, Researcher Stories, Science