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Posted by: Erin Allen
On January 5, 1502, prior to his fourth and final voyage to America, Christopher Columbus gathered several judges and notaries in his home in Seville to authorize the authentic copies of his archival collection of original documents through which Queen Isabella of Castille and her husband, King Ferdinand of Aragon, had granted titles, revenues, powers …
Posted in: Books, Collections, History, Manuscripts, National Book Festival
Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is a guest post by Guy Lamolinara, communications officer in the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress.) Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins (2001-2003), creator of the Library’s Poetry 180 website, has just published his first illustrated children’s book with artist Karen Romagna. The book features Collins’ poem “Voyage,” which …
Posted in: Books, Events, Libraries, National Book Festival, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is an article written by Harry Katz in the September-October 2014 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM. Katz is a former curator in the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division and author of a new Library publication, “Mark Twain’s America.”) Samuel Clemens’ fight for the intellectual property rights to Mark Twain’s works helped protect …
Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is a guest post by Tom Wiener of the Library’s Publishing Office and editor of “The Forgotten Fifties: America’s Decade from the Archives of Look Magazine.) Look Magazine was a large format, glossy-paged publication that emphasized photography as much as words. Published between 1937 and 1971, it is recalled now as the poor …
Posted in: Books, Collections, Events, History, Photos
Posted by: Erin Allen
(Today is the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated annually Sept. 15-Oct. 15. This year, the Library’s Hispanic Division marks its 75th anniversary. The following is an article from the July-August 2014 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine .) Dating back to the middle ages, the Library’s Hispanic world collections are the largest in …
Posted in: Books, Capitol Hill, Collections, History, Libraries, Manuscripts, Today in History, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
Now in its 14th year, the Library of Congress National Book Festival welcomed book lovers to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center — a new venue for this year — on Saturday. More than 100 authors, poets and illustrators were featured throughout the day and evening, packing crowds into pavilions such as History & Biography, …
Posted in: Books, Education, Events, Libraries, National Book Festival, Photos, Pic of the Week, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is an article in the July-August 2014 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM. Award-winning novelist E.L. Doctorow discusses the role of fiction and storytelling. You can read the issue in its entirety here.) The story is the most ancient way of knowing. It preceded writing. It is the world’s first system for collecting …
Posted in: Books, Education, Events, Libraries, National Book Festival, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is an article written by Guy Lamolinara, communications officer for the Center for the Book, featured in the September-October 2012 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine. Aug. 24 was the 200th anniversary of the burning of the Capitol building and the Library.) The story of the phoenix that rises triumphantly from its …
Posted in: Abraham Lincoln, Books, Capitol Hill, Collections, Congress, Education, Events, History, Libraries, Manuscripts, Thomas Jefferson Building, Today in History, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
In this final installment of our Letters About Literature spotlight, we feature the Level 3 National Honor-winning letter of Riddhi Sangam of Saratoga, Calif., who wrote to Jhumpa Lahiri, author of “The Namesake.” Letters About Literature, a national reading and writing program that asks young people in grades 4 through 12 to write to an author …