John Ashbery is gone. A pivotal figure in 20th– and 21st-century literature, few poets have been as honored as he: recipient of the Bollingen Prize, the National Humanities Medal, a MacArthur “genius” grant, and numerous other awards. His 1975 collection, Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror, won the American book world’s triple crown: the Pulitzer Prize, Read More
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Join Us for Houghton Library’s 75th Anniversary Symposium: Who Cares?
October 5-6, 2017 Cambridge, Massachusetts Free to register The symposium is limited to 200 participants to encourage productive and dynamic dialogue in a more intimate setting. We expect demand to exceed our supply of seats, so please register early to secure your spot. This year Houghton Library, Harvard College’s primary rare books and manuscripts library, Read More
Julian I. Edison in Memoriam
Houghton Library is saddened to learn that Julian I. Edison (AB ’51, MBA ’53) of St. Louis, Missouri, passed away on Monday, May 8, 2017. With Mr. Edison’s death, both Houghton and Harvard University have lost one of their most distinguished and generous supporters. Julian was the former CEO and chairman of Edison Brothers Stores, Read More
The Houghton75 Podcast
We’re happy to announce a new way of learning about the Houghton Library collections and the people that use them. The Houghton75 podcast! Houghton75 will present different voices and perspectives on Houghton Library in its seventy-fifth year. The series kicks off with Harvard faculty members sharing their thoughts on the collection item they chose for Read More
Houghton Incunable finds its Mate after Two Centuries
Not long ago, Houghton Library acquired a copy of the first half of an edition of the works of Thomas Aquinas printed in Basel by Michael Wenssler in 1485 (Inc 7508) – the first half, I say, because the collection was issued in three parts, of which the second itself consisted of two parts, and Read More