Cakes, Pies and Cookies! Oh My!
Have you ever had a slice of cake or pie for lunch? I hate to admit it, but it is a guilty pleasure that I have partaken in numerous times.Red Velvet, German Chocolate, Lemon Meringue and...
View ArticleFifth Avenue From Start to Finish: The 1911 Equivalent of Google Street View
One of the treasures of the New York Public Library is the photographic publication "Fifth Avenue, New York, From Start to Finish." Luckily for us, this rare and beautiful collection of photographs has...
View ArticleA Closer Look at Jefferson's Declaration
The New York Public Library's Manuscripts and Archives Division is honored to safeguard a copy of the Declaration of Independence penned by Thomas Jefferson. Because the Declaration was featured in the...
View ArticleSummer Reading When It's Too Darn Hot To Do Anything Else
According to the Kinsey ReportEv'ry average man you knowMuch prefers his love-y dove-y to courtWhen the temperature is low,But when the thermometer goes 'way upAnd the weather is sizzling hot,Mister...
View ArticleThe Emperor of the United States
Some people are already tired of hearing about the 2012 election campaign. But they should be grateful for our election process, because our democratically-elected government was once a monarchy. No,...
View ArticleThe Summer Olympics: History and Resources
The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially called The Games of the XXX Olympiad kicks off on July 27th in London, United Kingdom!For about two weeks, the world will be watching their top athletes compete for...
View ArticleThe Victory Book Campaign and The New York Public Library
During the month of November 1941, three organizations, the American Library Association, the American Red Cross and the United Service Organizations (USO) formed the Victory Book Campaign (originally...
View ArticleShort-Term Research Fellows: A Closer Look at Tatar-Language Pamphlets
Russia — what does it make you think of? Cold winters, fur hats, vast forests, and perhaps some vodka and caviar? As a Russian historian in training, I want to help people understand that Russia is...
View ArticleHow Did the Pigeon Get to NYC?
One can scarcely think of any park in NYC — or any city, really — without envisioning the ubiquitous pigeon there as well. Despite signs requesting you not feed the birds in adjacent Bryant Park, the...
View ArticleSyd Hoff: A Birthday Celebration
Do you remember the first time you read a book by Syd Hoff? If you were too young to read on your own, maybe someone in your life shared the book with you. For some, books such as Danny and the...
View ArticleGeorge Romney Republican: The Rise and Fall of Mitt's Political Mentor
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, or does it? If you come to the South Court Auditorium of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at 42nd Street this Thursday at 1:15 p.m. (whew!) you might find a...
View ArticleWhy Save Languages? A Few Words About Language Extinction and Revitalization
There is no language like the Irish for soothing and quieting. —John Millington Synge, The Aran IslandsWhen I think of my father during my growing-up years, I usually picture him relaxing after work in...
View ArticleTransmissions from The Timothy Leary Papers: What I Thought I Knew
When I first started the Leary Processing Internship in June, I had what is probably the most common impression of Timothy Leary. I had obviously heard about him before, but honestly, all I knew about...
View ArticleUnited States Sanitary Commission Processing Project: After Antietam
September 17, 2012 marked the 150th anniversary of the battle of Antietam, often called "the bloodiest day in American history." With Alexander Gardner's images before us, we can easily imagine the...
View ArticleTransmissions from the Timothy Leary Papers: Ron Paul for President
With the current United States presidential election approaching, I thought it appropriate to share a couple items from the Timothy Leary papers relating to Ron Paul.US Congressman Ron Paul lost his...
View ArticleShort-Term Research Fellows: A Closer Look at Brooklyn History
As a graduate student whose dissertation examines the development of Brooklyn in the nineteenth century, I have spent more hours than I care to count the past several years poring through documents in...
View ArticleDrawing on the iPad
As a visiting artist at the NYPL, I felt the need from the very beginning of my stay in New York City to explore the library visually by making drawings of it on my iPad. The library’s landmark...
View ArticleLIVE from the NYPL Hosts NaNoWriMo Writers
LIVE from the NYPL welcomes all National Novel Writing Month participants to come to The New York Public Library on Tuesday, November 20th for a Write-In. Spend a few minutes or hours writing in the...
View ArticleWhat to Draw? A Turkey, of Course
Happy Thanksgiving to you! In honor of the holiday, here's a page from one of my favorite drawing manuals in the collection, 1913's What to Draw and How to Draw It by E. G. Lutz.This turkey (along with...
View Article"The Hobbit" and Other Classics in Yiddish
If you're as eager as I am to see the movie version of The Hobbit, then you'll be excited to hear about the brand-new translation of the J.R.R. Tolkien classic into Yiddish. OK, maybe not; possibly you...
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