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Category: Writers

Closeup photograph of the spine of three leather-bound volumes, one of them reading "Political Pamphlets"

Thomas Jefferson’s Library…

Posted by: Neely Tucker

Recreating Thomas Jefferson's personal library, which became the DNA of the Library of Congress, has been a fascination for antiquarians since an 1851 fire burned about two thirds of his original books. But for 27 years, one of the Library’s most ardent projects has been to examine its own stacks, other libraries, rare book dealers and antiquarians from multiple countries to replace the burned and missing volumes with exact copies — the same edition, publisher and so on — to replicate the world view that led the author of the Declaration of Independence to pen such a world-changing set of ideas. That effort is now getting as close to complete as it is ever likely to get.

Medium close up of a woman speaking on state. She's wearing a black top, white suit coat and glasses. She's smiling.

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Live at the Library

Posted by: Maria Peña

At times laughing and tossing back her long sisterlocks, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson engaged in a lively discussion with U.S. District Court Judge Carlton W. Reeves in the Coolidge Auditorium last week. She talked about her youth and life experiences, all included in her memoir, "Lovely One."

Color portrait of Mac Bennett, seated, leaning forward with his forearms resting on his knees, looking to his left at the camera.

Mac Barnett Named New National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

Posted by: Neely Tucker

Mac Barnett, the bestselling author of more than 60 children's books, including “Twenty Questions,” “Sam & Dave Dig a Hole,” “A Polar Bear in the Snow” as well as the “Mac B., Kid Spy” series, will be inaugurated today as the 2025-2026 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. 

1930s-style illustration of a man falling in front of a moving car with a policeman yelling in the background

“V as in Victim,” The Library’s Newest Crime Classic

Posted by: Neely Tucker

This is a guest post by Zach Klitzman, a writer-editor in the Library’s Publishing Office. “All we want are the facts, ma’am,” from “Dragnet.” “Book ’em, Danno,” from “Hawaii Five-O.” David Caruso flipping on his sunglasses before offering a pithy line in “CSI: Miami.” These and other cop-show catchphrases have their roots in Lawrence Treat’s …

A medium close up photo of several lines of poetry set onto a chest-high wall.

Veterans Day: Remembering World War I

Posted by: Neely Tucker

"A Soldier's Journey," a new bronze statue, was recently unveiled at the World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C.'s Pershing Park. An excerpt from "The Young Dead Soldiers Do Not Speak," a poem by former Librarian of Congress Archibald MacLeish, adorns another wall at the park. Both mark a fitting tribute to the nation's fallen soldiers this Memorial Day.

Two women and one man sit on a stage in front of a National Book Festival backdrop.

Ned Blackhawk’s “The Rediscovering of America”

Posted by: Neely Tucker

Author and academic Ned Blackhawk has been studying Native American history for a long time, and he thinks there are reasons to be optimistic about the future. He says that groundwork laid over the past several decades, particularly in the 1970s protest movements, has established a growing recognition of Native American influence on the foundations of U.S. culture and society, resulting in a cultural renaissance. His latest book, “The Rediscovery of America,” won the National Book Award for nonfiction this year, and his panel discussion at the National Book Festival was packed.