America's Greatest Library: An Illustrated History of the Library of Congress

by John Y. Cole

Overview

Packed with fascinating facts, compelling images, and little-known nuggets of information, this new go-to illustrated guide to the history of the Library of Congress will appeal to history buffs and general readers alike. It distils over two hundred years of history into an engaging read that makes a Washington icon relevant today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781911282136
Publisher:	D Giles Limited
Publication date:	01/02/2018
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	777,100
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

John Y. Cole is the Library of Congress Historian, the top technical expert and adviser on the history of the Library of Congress, documenting institutional history and conducting historical research. Cole was the founding director of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress, which was created by law in 1977. Cole has served the Library of Congress since 1966 following two years of service as a U.S. Army second lieutenant and chief of the library branch of the U.S. Army Intelligence School. He has been instrumental in shaping numerous literacy and reading-promotion programs during his 50-year tenure at the Library and is the author of several books about the institution.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Carla D. Hayden
Authors Note and Acknowledgments by John Y. Cole

Part One: FOR CONGRESS 1800-1897
• Introduction
o "A Suitable Apartment"—The Library's First Home
o Comes the Flood: The Library and Copyright Deposit
o The Book Palace of the American People

Part Two: FOR THE NATION, 1897-1959
• Introduction
o Daniel Murray—A Collector's Legacy
o Of Cards, Catalogs, and Computers
o Founding—and Lost—Documents

Part Three: FOR THE WORLD, 1960-2016
• Introduction
o An Essential Resource in a Time of Grief
o Knowledge Will Forever Govern Ignorance—The Madison Memorial
o The First Presidential Library
o The Library's Pop Persona

APPENDIX
The Librarians of Congress
Further Reading
Donor
Photo Credits
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Easily digestible nuggets of information conveyed in timelines of events organized by year plus in-depth mini-stories"—Erica Moody, Washington Life Magazine
“Cole is a deft tour guide, whether explaining the institution’s origins or telling compelling stories.”—Washingtonian
"The book Palace of the American People: John Y. Cole offers a new look at the inspiring and sometimes troubled history of the Library of Congress."—The Washington Post
"Recommended for anyone with an interest in the rich collections and cultural history that constitute the Library of Congress."—Jim Frutchey, Booklist Online

From the Publisher

★ 03/01/2018
Like its subject, this title takes on several roles at once. Handsome, slightly oversize, with high production values and lavish photographs and illustrations, it could be taken for a coffee-table book. But this would do it a disservice, as Library of Congress historian Cole has compiled a thorough overview of the library's history, with an exhaustive time line ranging from President John Adams's 1800 act to appropriate $5,000 "for the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress" to the 2016 swearing in of current Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, accompanied by well-written essays. The chronology offers detailed accounting of the institution's construction, collection building, division development, staff, outreach, cataloging and computing innovations, and ever-expanding mission. The essays zero in on subjects and events such as the library's role after John F. Kennedy's assassination (providing emergency historical reference for presidential funerals and keeping its restrooms open all night for mourners), or a portrait of pioneering African American bibliographer Daniel Murray, who became a member of the library staff at 19 in 1871. VERDICT For interested browsers and library buffs but also a solid, detailed, creatively packaged institutional history.—Lisa Peet, Library Journal

Library Journal