In cooperation with the Library, Fulcrum Publishing has produced a full-color 1997 calendar celebrating the centennial of the Library's Thomas Jefferson Building, which opened its doors to the public on Nov. 1, 1897.
The calendar's 12 color photographs are by Michael Dersin. They depict the Jefferson Building in its fully restored glory, and include the Main Reading Room, the Great Hall and close-ups of paintings such as Frank Weston Benson's "Aglaia" in the Great Hall's second floor south corridor and Edward J. Holslag's graceful "Efficiunt clarum studio" ("They make it clear by study") circular panel in the Librarian's Room. Captions and historical vignettes by Peggy Wagner of the Library's Publishing Office describe each of the photographs as well as events in the Library's history "One Hundred Years Ago" that led to the building's opening.
The calendar includes a brief historical afterword about the Library and its Jefferson Building by John Y. Cole, director of the Center for the Book. He notes that, as the Library of Congress approaches its bicentennial in the year 2000, "it continues to gather and conserve our rich, multifaceted cultural heritage, still guided by Thomas Jefferson's belief that the widest possible access to a comprehensive knowledge base is essential to a successful democracy."
The 11.5" by 11.5" calendar is available in the Library of Congress Sales Shop for $11.95. For additional information, call the shop at (202) 707-0204 or Fulcrum Publishing at (303) 277-1623 or (800) 992-2908.
Guide to LC Building Inscriptions and Quotations Still Available
On These Walls: Inscriptions and Quotations in the Buildings of the Library of Congress, published by the Library in 1995, is still available for visitors and others interested in the history of the Jefferson Building. It includes the inscriptions and quotations in all three Library of Congress buildings (Jefferson, Adams, Madison), but the emphasis is on the incomparable Jefferson Building. Author John Y. Cole points out that the Jefferson Building is an unparalleled "monument to the book," for it celebrates books, great writers, the art of printing and the world's cultural traditions well before the arrival of the audiovisual and computer revolutions.
In addition to listing inscriptions and quotations and their sources, On These Walls includes brief descriptions of major paintings and sculptures in each building. Published with support from the Madison Council, the Library's private-sector support group, On These Walls contains six color and 27 black-and-white photographs and a detailed index to the historical figures represented in each building.
A 106-page book, On These Walls may be purchased at the Library of Congress Sales Shop for $8.50. It also can be purchased by mail. For information call (202) 707-0204.
Lord Jenkins to Speak at LC on Feb. 10
Roy Jenkins (Lord Jenkins of Hillhead), the author of the recent award-winning biography of British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, will present a talk on "Politicians and Their Reading" at the Library at 6 p.m. on Feb. 10. His presentation, part of the Center for the Book's "Books & Beyond" lecture series, will be held in the Mumford Room on the sixth floor of the Library's James Madison Memorial Building. It is free and open to the public.
A British best-seller, Gladstone won the Whitbread Award for biography, the highest honor of its kind in the United Kingdom. The book is being published in the United States in February 1997 by Random House.
Roy Jenkins is a scholar and statesman who has served in British Labour governments as home secretary and chancellor of the exchequer. He also has been president of the European Commission. He is currently the leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, the chancellor of Oxford University and the president of the Royal Society of Literature. A prolific writer, his books include A Life at the Center: Memoirs of a Radical Reformer (Random House, 1991) and biographies of Harry Truman and British Prime Ministers H.H. Asquith and Stanley Baldwin.
Missouri Celebrates Its Literary Heritage
Program Officer Maurvene D. Williams represented the Center for the Book at the first Missouri Celebration of the Book, which was sponsored by the Missouri Center for the Book and held on the campus of Stephens College in Columbia on Nov. 8 and 9, 1996. The annual event attracted more than 300 writers, librarians, booksellers, publishers, educators and book lovers from throughout the state. In addition to book displays and author signings, the program included a demonstration of traditional book-making arts; a workshop on creating book discussion groups, poetry readings, sessions on children's literature, popular fiction, biography, censorship and reading promotion; a discussion on the future of the book in the age of cyberspace; a reception marking the 20th anniversary of the Missouri Review, and an "author walk" through downtown Columbia. As part of the walk, held on Saturday night Nov. 9, 31 authors presented readings and signed books at 10 locations.
A new publication from the Missouri Center for the Book, Missouri's Literary Heritage: Traveling Through the Centuries, was featured at the celebration. The 32-page pamphlet, developed in cooperation with the Missouri Division of Tourism, describes Missouri writers, their homes and the literary landscapes that inspired them. It includes 80 black-and-white photographs and is organized geographically, with sections on the St. Louis area, central Missouri, northern Missouri, southern Missouri and the Kansas City area. The concluding sections describe Literary Landmarks, Literary Journals, Literary Web Sites and list books for further reading. Single copies are available for $1 from the Missouri Center for the Book. Schools, libraries and other educational organizations may request multiple copies of the booklet.
Established in 1993, the Missouri Center for the Book is a nonprofit statewide organization that promotes the importance of books and reading, celebrates the state's literary heritage and recognizes the contributions of Missouri's authors, booksellers, publishers, librarians and other involved in the literary arts.
Headquartered at the Missouri State Library, the Missouri center is governed by a board of directors composed of authors, publishers, librarians, editors and community leaders. Jean Carnahan, Missouri's first lady, is honorary board chair.
Major activities, in addition to the annual Celebration of the Book, include the development and maintenance of the Missouri Authors Collection at the State Library; the "Letters About Literature" student essay contest; the creation of a Missouri Center for the Book home page that includes information about the center's activities and about more than 500 contemporary authors and other writers who were born in or had strong ties to Missouri; book discussion programs; a bibliographic guide to Missouri history and culture, being developed in collaboration with the Missouri State Archives; and a speakers bureau that will offer libraries and community organizations opportunities to schedule presentations by Missouri authors.
For information about the Missouri Center for the Book and its publications and projects, write or call the Missouri Center for the Book, P.O. Box 387, Jefferson City, MO 65101, telephone (573) 751-2680.
Book Events in Tennessee and Michigan
Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole was a guest on Oct. 11-13, 1996, at the Eighth Annual Southern Festival of Books in Nashville. On Oct. 29, in Saginaw, Mich., Dr. Cole was the speaker at "Celebration of Libraries," an event sponsored by Saginaw's White Pine Library Cooperative and the Michigan Center for the Book.
