Technical Services Gore Vidal (1925-2012) The City and the Pillar (New York, 1948) The Gore Vidal Papers are well known for holding the drafts of the author’s novels, essays, theatrical plays, teleplays and screenplays, as well as personal letters from correspondents ranging from John F. Kennedy to Tennessee Williams. Vidal

Office of the Librarian Catalogo General de la Libreria (Madrid, 1666) This rare catalog of an inquisitor’s library of nearly 4,000 titles, including many banned books, was the first volume I accessioned as Acquisitions Bibliographer in 1982. Researching this book introduced me to the bibliographical sophistication and utility of the

Collections Luis, de Granada(1504-1588) ひですの経 = Symbolo da fee (Nagasaki, 1611) This Japanese translation of a Catholic devotional work previously published in Spanish and Portuguese was printed from moveable type on a Western-style printing press operated in Japan between 1590 and 1613 by Christian missionaries of the Jesuit order. Although

Preservation Services Angela Lorenz (b. 1965) Sir Thomas’more, or, Utopia Impaled (Bologna, 2007) A perennial favorite among classes held at Houghton for its physicality and play-on-word title, this graham cracker bound accordion book and accompanying paper marshmallow were originally created as a remembrance of the death of Thomas More, whose

Technical Services Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) Letter to Pietro Urbano, ca. 1517 This fragment of a letter, in Michelangelo’s own hand, was probably recovered from a book binding and is thought to have been addressed to Pietro Urbano, the artist’s long-time servant and assistant. The letter appears to be concerned with

Collections Fan Dawo Kelondo (life dates unknown) New Invented Native Alphabet of Western Africa Liberia, 1834 I am often amazed by what turns up in Houghton’s collections. This manuscript is perhaps the earliest surviving example of the Vai syllabary, the writing system for a language spoken in Liberia and Sierra

Technical Services Margaret Fuller (1810-1850) Letter to Timothy Fuller, 16 January 1820 Margaret Fuller, born Sarah Margaret, sent this letter to her father when she was only ten years old. Timothy Fuller believed in a comprehensive education for all of his children and Margaret, his oldest, flourished under his tutelage.

Technical Services Whereas this Province Labours under a Heavy Debt (Boston, 1767) I have handled thousands of magnificent objects over my thirty-plus years as a rare book cataloger, but nothing comes close to finding this national treasure in Houghton’s stacks a few years ago. A response to the Townsend Act’s

Security William Blake (1757-1827) Songs of Innocence (London, 1789) A visionary artist and poet of great originality, Blake conveys a true reverence, wonder, and humility in the mystery of creation of whom God is the great benefactor. In his well-known poem “The Lamb” he witnesses nature as through the eyes

Collections Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) A Short Scheme for a New Dictionary London, 1746 In 2004 I came to Houghton Library as a cataloger working on the newly arrived Donald and Mary Hyde Collection of Dr. Samuel Johnson, and today I have the honor to serve as the curator of that